Living the Suite Life on the Dream ~ Sept. 1-5, 2013

[Lisa Lisa]

It was great reading your experience on the cruise. My DH and I were on the same cruise. In fact, I believe we were sitting in the water at SB when you got your pic with Jack Sparrow!!! That was a wonderful cruise!!

Sent from my Galaxy SII

How awesome was that day at Castaway?? I loved that DCL didn't forget about the grown-ups. Seeing Captain Jack and getting my photo with him was one of my favorite moments of the cruise!

 

[DznyCrzy11]

How awesome was that day at Castaway?? I loved that DCL didn't forget about the grown-ups. Seeing Captain Jack and getting my photo with him was one of my favorite moments of the cruise!

Sure was!!! Were you and your DH talking to Jack Sparrow about beer, or either Jack Sparrow had mentioned something about your beer? I'm pretty sure it was you getting your picture when I was sitting in the water, lol.

Sent from my Galaxy SII

 

[Lisa Lisa]

Sure was!!! Were you and your DH talking to Jack Sparrow about beer, or either Jack Sparrow had mentioned something about your beer? I'm pretty sure it was you getting your picture when I was sitting in the water, lol.

Sent from my Galaxy SII

I think it was the people on the other side of us who asked Jack if he wanted a beer, and he said "Rum!" It seemed like he was having fun, and of course the crowd was eating it up!

 

[N365PA]

Glad to read your trip report! We had Andy and Anne-Marie as well. We've seen Andy since that cruise (no upgrades available on that one ). He get so excited to see repeat cruisers. The best part of concierge was having either one of them at the desk ready to make your day. Thanks for writing the report!

As Andy says in his flamboyant way "Gut Morning!" from Alaska.

Clint

 

[elyse57]

Loved reading your trip report! You sure have me considering a concierge room for our next cruise!

 

[Lisa Lisa]

Glad to read your trip report! We had Andy and Anne-Marie as well. We've seen Andy since that cruise (no upgrades available on that one ). He get so excited to see repeat cruisers. The best part of concierge was having either one of them at the desk ready to make your day. Thanks for writing the report!

As Andy says in his flamboyant way "Gut Morning!" from Alaska.

Clint

I agree - Andy and Annie-Marie were great! DH and I stopped in the lounge for photos before we went to Remy, and Andy made the biggest fuss over us. He also got some great photos, which I really appreciated as DH and I have very few photos together! I'm hoping we'll get the chance to sail with them again at some point, but I'm not sure when we'll be back on the Dream.

Enjoy your first Platinum cruise!!

 

[Lisa Lisa]

Loved reading your trip report! You sure have me considering a concierge room for our next cruise!

Thanks for reading. If you decide to go concierge, you will not regret it!!

 

[byejou]

Love you TR. I have a question, what was the promotion you received. We always book on baord to get the discounts and OBC but it looks like you had a great offer. We have sitter issues so we never did anything special for our 10 yr anniversary and next year we both turn the big 40, so I was thinking maybe if childcare works out, we could also cruise alone and just celebrate that way too. I would love Cat V or T and would only do it without children. Let me know if you don't mind me asking.

 

[Lisa Lisa]

Love you TR. I have a question, what was the promotion you received. We always book on baord to get the discounts and OBC but it looks like you had a great offer. We have sitter issues so we never did anything special for our 10 yr anniversary and next year we both turn the big 40, so I was thinking maybe if childcare works out, we could also cruise alone and just celebrate that way too. I would love Cat V or T and would only do it without children. Let me know if you don't mind me asking.

I don't mind at all. In January, DCL rolled out a promotion for late August and September sailings on the Dream. The code for the promotion was DRM. The promotion included special pricing for the lowest categories of inside, ocean view, and verandah rooms, plus an OBC. I think it was a $50 OBC for inside and ocean view and $100 for verandah. DH and I waffled for a few days about whether we wanted to book a DCL cruise, and in that time category 7A went into GTY status. We went ahead and booked a 7A GTY for $599/person + $100 OBC. The lowest category ocean view room would have been $549/person and the lowest category inside room would have been $499/person. In contrast, the next higher verandah category (6A) was priced at around $1800 for two people.

DCL continued to offer the special rates on and off for months, long after each of the three categories had gone into GTY status. We were assigned a category 5A room about 52 days before our sail date. That promotion seems to be a new way for DCL to fill a ship during a slow time for them. More typical are the IGT/OGT/VGT rates that are released much closer to sail date. When do you want to sail? I noticed that the 9/7/14 4-night Dream sailing has a good rate for category T. I think it was around $2400 for two people, which is quite good for a one-bedroom suite!

 

[byejou]

I don't mind at all. In January, DCL rolled out a promotion for late August and September sailings on the Dream. The code for the promotion was DRM. The promotion included special pricing for the lowest categories of inside, ocean view, and verandah rooms, plus an OBC. I think it was a $50 OBC for inside and ocean view and $100 for verandah. DH and I waffled for a few days about whether we wanted to book a DCL cruise, and in that time category 7A went into GTY status. We went ahead and booked a 7A GTY for $599/person + $100 OBC. The lowest category ocean view room would have been $549/person and the lowest category inside room would have been $499/person. In contrast, the next higher verandah category (6A) was priced at around $1800 for two people.

DCL continued to offer the special rates on and off for months, long after each of the three categories had gone into GTY status. We were assigned a category 5A room about 52 days before our sail date. That promotion seems to be a new way for DCL to fill a ship during a slow time for them. More typical are the IGT/OGT/VGT rates that are released much closer to sail date. When do you want to sail? I noticed that the 9/7/14 4-night Dream sailing has a good rate for category T. I think it was around $2400 for two people, which is quite good for a one-bedroom suite!

Thanks, I actually look into that exact cruise and room last night. We cruise 11/3 on the Dream and I may book on board so we will see. I will also keep my eye out for promotions.

 

[JayhawkFans]

Really enjoyed your trip report.

We just returned from a 3 night Disney Dream Cruise (first cruise) and are anxiously awaiting our next cruise. I will be turning 40 next year and can't think of anything I'd rather do than celebrate on a Disney cruise. Already checking dates & rates (seriously considering a concierge level room). If only I could NOT feel guilty about possibly leaving my daughter (age 12) at home.

 

[Lisa Lisa]

Really enjoyed your trip report.

We just returned from a 3 night Disney Dream Cruise (first cruise) and are anxiously awaiting our next cruise. I will be turning 40 next year and can't think of anything I'd rather do than celebrate on a Disney cruise. Already checking dates & rates (seriously considering a concierge level room). If only I could NOT feel guilty about possibly leaving my daughter (age 12) at home.

I think a DCL cruise would be a great way to celebrate your 40th! I've noticed that concierge rooms are much cheaper at certain times of year. Next time DH and I go by ourselves, we'll either book when we can get a good rate ahead of time or try to upgrade at port again. Regarding leaving the kids at home, I missed DD but I did not feel guilty. DH and I were definitely going to do something on our own to celebrate our anniversary, and we figured it didn't really matter in the end what that was. The bottom line is that we deserved something special! Plus, DD had already been on two DCL cruises and we have another planned for the spring. She is not deprived.

Happy planning!

 

[tweis]

Hi Lisa,

It looks as though we may be sailing the Magic instead of the Fantasy next year and will be in Nassau again. I am considering booking Comfort Suites for the Atlantis access and it looks like they have a pretty good price for the day we will be there but in the fine print it has this:

Please note: Must have one adult 21 years or older in each room. Energy surcharge: 15.95 per person per night. Housekeeping gratuities: 5.00 per person per night These are additional charges not included in nightly estimated total and must be paid directly at the hotel. Groups are for Five or more rooms and require a 2nt stay. For groups please contact 1-800-417-6738 Ext 24. Persons 16 and older are charged as adults. 3rd/4th person charged 40.00 per night + tax and service charges.

Were you charged all of these additional fees or simply the price that the website indicated? I hope its the price on the website because if so, we will be saving $370.10 before taxi fares and lunch.

 

[Lisa Lisa]

Hi Lisa,

It looks as though we may be sailing the Magic instead of the Fantasy next year and will be in Nassau again. I am considering booking Comfort Suites for the Atlantis access and it looks like they have a pretty good price for the day we will be there but in the fine print it has this:

Please note: Must have one adult 21 years or older in each room. Energy surcharge: 15.95 per person per night. Housekeeping gratuities: 5.00 per person per night These are additional charges not included in nightly estimated total and must be paid directly at the hotel. Groups are for Five or more rooms and require a 2nt stay. For groups please contact 1-800-417-6738 Ext 24. Persons 16 and older are charged as adults. 3rd/4th person charged 40.00 per night + tax and service charges.

Were you charged all of these additional fees or simply the price that the website indicated? I hope its the price on the website because if so, we will be saving $370.10 before taxi fares and lunch.

Hi there! I'm not sure why the CS wording is that way -- it's very confusing and has scared a few people away! The extra fees/charges are included in the total you get when you book online. Here's how it was broken down in our confirmation e-mail:

Nightly rate (AAA rate): $143.10
Estimated tax and other charges: $70.52 **
Estimated total: $213.62

**There were 2 of us, so the Energy Surcharge and Housekeeping Gratuities came to $41.90. The total taxes are 20% (ouch!), which accounts for the other $28.62.

We paid with a credit card when we got to CS, and the total was exactly what we were expecting: $213.62. I'm not sure why they use the word "estimated." Maybe it's just a CYA thing in case the tax rate changes??

You'll have a blast at Atlantis!

 

[tweis]

Hi there! I'm not sure why the CS wording is that way -- it's very confusing and has scared a few people away! The extra fees/charges are included in the total you get when you book online. Here's how it was broken down in our confirmation e-mail:

Nightly rate (AAA rate): $143.10
Estimated tax and other charges: $70.52 **
Estimated total: $213.62

**There were 2 of us, so the Energy Surcharge and Housekeeping Gratuities came to $41.90. The total taxes are 20% (ouch!), which accounts for the other $28.62.

We paid with a credit card when we got to CS, and the total was exactly what we were expecting: $213.62. I'm not sure why they use the word "estimated." Maybe it's just a CYA thing in case the tax rate changes??

You'll have a blast at Atlantis!

Thanks Lisa!!

I just booked for $305.90 for 4 people!! That's a steal compared to DCL. I called the hotel and she said we would not be charged for the energy surcharge and housekeeping if we weren't going to use the room. I figure even if we are charged then it is still way cheaper than DCL. Thanks again!

Trina

 

[SnowWhite2]

Hi Lisa
Great trip report. DH and I will be on the Dream next year for our 30th anniversary and we are sailing concierge room 12508 (with the long veranda). I have a few questions.

How was the beach at SB? I've seen pics with seaweed all over the beach and it has soured me on the idea of heading over there. What was your experience?

You mentioned that you had a lounger on your veranda. Did you have to ask for it or was it already there? With the longer deck space I was interested in getting a lounger.

Do you know if they offer the one day Rain Forrest pass on ship? I'm not sure if I'll get there since our cruise is a double dip.

TIA

 

[Lisa Lisa]

Hi Lisa
Great trip report. DH and I will be on the Dream next year for our 30th anniversary and we are sailing concierge room 12508 (with the long veranda). I have a few questions.

How was the beach at SB? I've seen pics with seaweed all over the beach and it has soured me on the idea of heading over there. What was your experience?

You mentioned that you had a lounger on your veranda. Did you have to ask for it or was it already there? With the longer deck space I was interested in getting a lounger.

Do you know if they offer the one day Rain Forrest pass on ship? I'm not sure if I'll get there since our cruise is a double dip.

TIA

Hi Laurie. Thanks for reading! You got a great room. IMO, 12508 and 12510 are the two best cat Vs because of the deep verandahs and the view at CC.

We absolutely loved SB. The photos I took of the beach didn't turn out because my lens was foggy in the morning, but you can see a little bit of the beach and water in my photo with Jack Sparrow. I didn't see any seaweed when we were there. Also, I had read lots of reports of the beach being rocky, but we didn't find that to be the case at all. SB was only slightly less manicured than the family beach. One advantage of SB, at least as far as DH and I were concerned, is that there was more to see in the water. We spotted sand dollars, starfish, conch shells, etc., and that was a lot of fun. If DH and I do another DCL cruise without our DD, we'll definitely be returning to SB.

We had two loungers on our verandah. By "lounger," I mean a chair with an adjustable, reclining back. They were not full lounge chairs. Your verandah will most likely have the loungers as well, and I'm sure you can ask for them if they're not there already. Not sure whether full lounge chairs would fit.

You can buy 1-day passes for the Rainforest Room on the ship. My understanding is that they charge more on the ship, but the higher price includes scrubs for use in the showers. In retrospect, we should have gone to the RR on a port day instead of our one sea day. It would have been less crowded on a port day, but it just never seemed like a good time to go!

I hope you have a fantastic cruise! If you have any other questions, please let me know!

 

[kdkdmac]

I thoroughly enjoyed your wonderful trip report! You are a fabulous writer, and I love the details you included in your report. I also loved your pictures! I'll have to watch for Captain Jack ... what fun!
We will be sailing on the Dream in May, staying in 12520. We will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary, my DD 21st birthday and my DS 18th birthday ... a trifecta of celebrations. lol

Thanks again for your awesome trip report! It's one of the best I have read regarding concierge on the Dream!

 

[Lisa Lisa]

I thoroughly enjoyed your wonderful trip report! You are a fabulous writer, and I love the details you included in your report. I also loved your pictures! I'll have to watch for Captain Jack ... what fun!
We will be sailing on the Dream in May, staying in 12520. We will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary, my DD 21st birthday and my DS 18th birthday ... a trifecta of celebrations. lol

Thanks again for your awesome trip report! It's one of the best I have read regarding concierge on the Dream!

Thanks for your kind words! I'm glad you found my report helpful. You'll love room 12520 -- you'll be steps from the lounge and have a great view at CC! I hope you and your family have an amazing cruise!

 

[SEADisneyGirls]

I know I'm a little late to the party, but I just read your trip report and loved it. Thanks for posting! Can I ask how you were able estimate the cost for the upgrade ahead of time?