stressed over packing and ?space on Dream

[Tuliplvr]

Hi- starting to pack for Dream next week I have a family of 4 and can't believe how much stuff we have (and I'm being good) what kind of storage is there on the Dream? drawers? etc thank you.. we have a deluxe family oceanview stateroom if that makes a difference

 

[mpetersen]

not sure if it depends on the stateroom but we had a veranda and had this for storage:
drawers in the desk area (at least 3 deep ones)
a coffee table/ deep for storage
under bed space for suitcases
2 decent sized closets with hangers/ room for shoes
another set of drawers by the connecting stateroom door

the split baths also have storage shelving in them

we were only 2 people and did fine for space, i used the desk drawers/ closet and Dh used the other drawers/closet, we could have easily consolidated. In fact we kept out FE gifts in the storage coffee table

 

[CDX4]

Don't stress, there should be plenty of room. I was frightened we would be sleeping on suitcases but it all worked out! We had a 3 day park trip before the cruise so we even had extra luggage (total of 6 suitcases) for the 4 of us. We were able to unpack everything and find a place to put it.

Couple of tips-
1. Bring extra hangers as the closet was a great place to get clothing out of sight.
3. Use the tops of closets to store shorts / tops & sleepwear for adults. Use drawers for kids so they can easily get to it. All shoes in the bottom of the closets. One closet for adults, one closet for kids.
2. Thanks to many tips from this board, we brought a over the door shoe hanger. Boy was this a life saver! I can't stand clutter on counters and this was a perfect solution.
3. We used the coffee table chest as the dirty clothes hamper. Worked perfectly, washed when full.
4. We stored all of the empty suitcases under the bed.
5. Get out what you think you need then cut it by about 30%. We wore bathing suits / coverups each day and then an outfit for dinner.

Hope you have a great time!

 

[Tuliplvr]

Thank you so much for easing my stress and for all of the information!!!!

 

[brewcrew]

We just returned from the July 5th cruise on the Dream. We stayed in the deluxe family ocean view stateroom. We had tons of space. I like how you can now store your suitcases under the bed. If you do run out of space, keep the non essentials in your suitcase and it is easy to slide in and out from under the bed. Have fun!

 

[tstobb]

Funny "flashback" memory On our 1st cruise, we packed so much we actually had 1 suitcase just for shoes. We called it the "shootcase"

 

[GraysMom]

There are also 2 cabinets above the desk (one shelf has the hairdryer) and several shelves above the drawers by the closets (good for sunscreen, etc). I packed our casual clothes in the very large ziploc bags (2 gal?) and then hung them with the skirt hangers in the closet to save on drawer space. We hung a shoe hanger (that had a hanger top, rather than over the door holders) in the bathroom with the sink/toilet, containing things like hairbrushes,nail polish remover pads, etc.).

As a PP mentioned, keeping items in the suitcases that are stored under the bed is always an option.

Have a great cruise!

 

[Tuliplvr]

Funny "flashback" memory On our 1st cruise, we packed so much we actually had 1 suitcase just for shoes. We called it the "shootcase"

too funny!

Thank you again for everyone for their responses. Can't wait for my first Disney cruise!!

 

[fairytalelover]

Another tip is that we dont pack clothes for the entire duration of our trip. We just take it for half of the time and visit the laundry room half way thru

 

[Tuliplvr]

Another tip is that we dont pack clothes for the entire duration of our trip. We just take it for half of the time and visit the laundry room half way thru

That's my problem.. not sure if I want to do laundry... how big of a pain is it, or how long does it take to do a load? Do they have detergent to buy in the laundry room? any idea how much it is to send things out to be done? thank you

 

[corky441]

Doing laundry onboard is a snap. They do sell detergent etc, but I found that bringing along those new Purex all in one sheets was better and cheaper. And as a bonus they act like a great air freshened in the dirty clothes hamper and also in the suitcase. I'm an early riser, so I'd put a wash load in on my way to get coffee up on deck. Load takes about 30-40 minutes. After finishing my coffee, I'd run back and get the load on the dryer. I had my laundry done and put away before half the ship had even got up.

 

[fairytalelover]

Doing laundry is easy on DCL and at WDW resorts which is why we only pack for half the trip to save space in the suitcases. We always get one of those gallon size ziplock bags and fill them with the travel size laundry liquid detergents and softeners/dryer sheets. It's super easy and inexpensive. We also bought a mesh laundry sack from the dollar tree store which we take on all the trips. We just put the sack on the floor in the closet and put our clothes in there as we use them then when it gets filled up we do laundry.

 

[jjgarv]

Thanks for starting this thread! We will be sailing in October for our first cruise on the Dream, and I've been a bit stressed over the lack of the steamer trunk.

 

[mattmommy]

to copy another response--we wear suits and coverups the whole day. Definitely need two bathing suits and a ton of lotion.

We do bring a few casual outfits for inbetween pool/beach and dinner, but not many.

I have a cousin who her and her ds and two kids had eight (8) suitcases of clothes. Yes, we laughed because their room looked like it exploded all the time.

Paring down never occurred to them.

 

[pdwimmer]

We are a family of 6. We always take two suitcases, plus one extra for souvenirs to bring home. The boys get one bag, the girls get the other. Lucky for me my girls are still little so their clothes don't take up any space at all. As they get older we may have to revise it to one suitcase for the boys and one each for the girls We also always do laundry. No sense carting all that luggage around if you don't have to do so. Good luck packing!

 

[Tuliplvr]

great information everyone!!! Thank you so much!!!

 

[jjgarv]

2 decent sized closets with hangers/ room for shoes

Are there really two separate closets? Or do you mean two sides to the same closet?

Can anyone direct me to photos of the interior of a regular (not family-size with the murphy bed) veranda stateroom on the Dream to check this out?

TIA!

 

[ranidayz]

Hi- starting to pack for Dream next week I have a family of 4 and can't believe how much stuff we have (and I'm being good) what kind of storage is there on the Dream? drawers? etc thank you.. we have a deluxe family oceanview stateroom if that makes a difference

We just has our family of five in a deluxe family oceanview and like you, i was totally stressed out about the space, because we usually have two cabins - but for other reasons, we only had one this cruise. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised that there was sooo much space that we actually didn't use all of the shelves and drawers and didn't even really need the over the door shoe holder. You'll be fine!

 

[tvguy]

We did a 7 day on the Magic with 2 adults and 2 adult sized children. We took 2 large suitcases, and overpacked. We had stuff we never wore. 1 suit case was for formal wear, 1 for casual wear. Half for each for the boy (son and I) , and half of each for the girls (wife and daughter).

 

[akennedy4]

Thanks for all the great tips!!!