Let's get some excitement going for this cruise! I borrow this from a past DISBoard Cruise Meet participant who ended up also being a table mate when cruising......Thanks DebT!!
Exactly 4 weeks from today.....
It is Sunday, and exactly 4 weeks from today we are ready to board The Disney DREAM!
We will wake up early, hardly believing that the day is finally here! A few final morning preparations, and then we all will make our way to the port. Some will arrive by personal car, some by rental car, some by hired car, some by hotel shuttle, and some on Disney buses. At some point, while crossing over the peak of a big bridge, someone will look to the left and gasp, "There she is! There's the ship! Do you see it?" And now we're REALLY excited! We'll wind around this way and that, and then approach the ship from her stern, hardly able to breathe at the wondrous sight of her! Look! Theres Sorcerer Mickey hanging off the ship! We'll drive through the security check point with a silly grin on our faces and verify we're cruising that day, hand our luggage over to the porters, tip them, and then walk inside the glass doors of
DCL's port building. A quick security screening scan of person and carry-ons, and then up the escalator to the friendly cast member who will guide us to the correct check-in line! We verify that no one is or has been sick these last few days, get our pictures taken, and are handed our Key to the World cards and boarding number! What boarding number did you get??
Soon, we'll be exploring the port building, noticing all the little Disney details such as how the ceiling is designed to look like waves and the floors like sand. Be sure to also notice all the special graphics that are inlaid in the flooring. We'll marvel at the large Disney Magic scaled model that is cut in half on the back side, and then peer inside the model to see if we can figure out the differences between Disneys first ship and the one were about to embark on. Those with children will meet Kid's Club counselors and hear about some of the fun activities planned. Wristbands will be attached to kids' wrists signifying they are now a part of the best childrens programming on the seven seas. Soon, characters will start appearing in front of the ship model for photos! Look, there's Captain Mickey!!! Some of us will step outside on the balcony and stare in awe at what looks like a tall building moored a few feet away! Can you spot your cabin your comfy home-away-from-home (or its vicinity) - for the next four nights? Looking down, we watch the massive preparations that are underway for our arrival, such as crates and crates of food! Yum! Luggage is piled high inside huge rolling metal caged bins that are being carefully eased up gangway planks, disappearing into the hull of the ship, that will magically appear outside our cabin doors around 3pm!
Believe it or not, even if we were the first to arrive at port opening, time will pass quickly in the terminal. There is so much to observe (people-watching is very fascinating here!)! Before we know it, the Family of the Day is announced, signaling that boarding is imminent! Once again, our hearts start beating excitedly! The concierge guests slip in from their special waiting area, and then the boarding announcement is made for #1s and the platinum guests start walking toward the big yellow ears! That's our cue! Boarding goes very quickly as everyone starts surging toward the line for their turn. Another boarding announcement, and off we go! Our turn to walk through the ears, hand over our Key to the World card for the first of many swipes, gather for a quick family embarkation photo, cross the gangway ramp, and tell our surname to the smiling officer. The amazingly gorgeous huge chandelier catches our eye before we notice twenty or so very impressive white uniformed officers smiling at us and finally hear... "The Disney Dream welcomes the __ Family!". (A very emotional moment!) We hear clapping and one of the officers approaches to personally greet us. Are we really onboard?!?! Oh my, yes we are! We really, really are! And then we are ushered in the direction of an amazing Welcome Aboard Luncheon!
Some will head straight down the Grand Staircase to Deck 2s Enchanted Garden, which is where the crew will guide you, but some of us will say wed rather go to up to Deck 11 to dine in Cabanas. Both restaurants will have nearly identical mouth-watering spreads, however there are a few logistical differences to each restaurant. Enchanted Garden has an organized buffet line whereas Cabanas is set up in food stations, which honestly can be quite confusing at first. Enchanted Garden has wait staff that will bring your drinks and refills to you, while at Cabanas you may have to get your own drinks and refills. Enchanted Garden has all inside seating, but at Cabanas you can opt for either inside or outside seating. And, if your little ones are eager to start swimming, you can easily take your trays full of food out of Cabanas and around to the pool area to eat while the kids enjoy a nearly empty pool! Of course, we can also grab a bit to eat from the pool deck dining options at Flos Café: Luigis Pizza, Tow-Maters Grill, and Fillmores Favorites. Oh yeah, and dont forget about 24-hour room service! Ahhh yes, theres certainly not a shortage of food on this cruise! Especially with an unlimited amount of self-serve soft-serve ice cream!!!
While gathering our lunch, we'll take time to look at all of the ice sculptures and food sculptures! Its amazing what they can do to a watermelon and other types of fruits and vegetables! Very creative! The sculptures are easy to miss, though, because all of the food choices laid out before you has captured your undivided attention! My favorite
unlimited peel and eat shrimp! Yummmmmmmmmmm!
After lunch, its time to wander around and become familiar with the layout of the ship. This is the only opportunity for unlimited access to tour Oceaneer Club, Oceaneer Lab, Edge Tween Club, Vibe, Its a Small World Nursery, and Senses Spa before they are reserved exclusively for age-appropriate guests. I've found that its easier to tour the ship starting at Deck 13 and work my way down. As we walk through Shutters, we know we want to return when they officially open (around 5pm) so we can look at our embarkation photos! The gift shops wont open until around 6pm (they are only allowed by law to be open while at sea) but in the meantime, its fun to look at all of the gorgeous window displays and peek through the glass doors of the stores! At 1pm, some of us will get in line at D Lounge to try to change our dining time. To try to snag a Palo brunch/dinner or a Remy experience, there is no need to stand in line because you can call them directly starting at 1pm (their numbers are listed in the Navigator!). Heres Pixie Dust that all of your dining desires are granted!
Our staterooms will be ready at 1:30pm and we can hardly wait to see them! At the 1:30 rope drop, we anxiously start scanning the numbers beside each door until we find our cabin. Oh - there's the silver fish (starfish, or seahorse) beside the door for our FEs - it's really cute! Anticipation builds as we try out our Key to the World card on the new door locks for the very first time just tap the key card on the front of the silver panel and were in! Hooray! We'll oooh and aaaah as we explore every nook and cranny of our little home-away-from-home. And if we remember, well hurry and snap photos before our cabins look lived-in. Ahhhh, sniff the aroma of the H2O shampoo! Cute towels! Look at all the hidden Mickeys in the cabin! So there are the Wave phones! Lets see how they work! Castaway Club Members (returning cruisers) will find their welcome back gifts lying on the bed. Here, well also find vouchers indicating any OBCs we may have accrued (from travel agents, booking onboard, or booking online with Disney VISA). Those with a Virtual Porthole will keep a keen eye on it, eager to spot the first of a dozen or so Disney characters and their antics that will magically appear! Within a few minutes, some will experience a cruise ship exclusive: the almighty power flush! (I know you repeat cruisers are snickering right now
hehe
Stand back kids!!!) Our suitcases will soon start arriving outside of our cabin doors and we're eager to unpack and make this cabin ours! But first, let's finish exploring our ship!
At 3pm we want to head up to Deck 12 behind the aft funnel to the Waves Bar to meet up with all the other people that are part of our DISBoard Cruise Meet. Say hello to the people you are going to be sharing the FE Exchange experience with during the week. Young cruisers can meet up with other cruisers of their age even before we set sail - potential instant friendships to take into the Youth Activities areas. But most of all just a chance to be social with a bunch of people that are all ready for a cruise vacation of fun!
Around 3:45pm, well head back to our cabins to prepare for the 4pm Mandatory Life Boat Drill. (All ship services will be suspended between 3:45-4:30pm so that everyone will participate, including the crew.) A few of us will want to snap a couple of photos wearing the bright orange life jackets that are in our cabins. But no need to wear them for the drill. Very soon, we hear the warning alarms and instructions and make our way to the Life Boat Station that is indicated on the back of our cabin door. As soon as its over, well head up to deck 11 to the Donald/Mickey Pool area for the always lively and fun Adventures Away deck party at 4:30pm! Woohoo! Its time to party really party!
Disney Cruise style! The Donald Pool has disappeared and a large dance deck is now spread out in front of the stage! The music starts and the energetic entertainment staff appear out of nowhere to get the party started! You cant help but to start moving to the upbeat music! So much fun!!! About 30-minutes into the party, and with great fanfare, the countdown begins! Its the moment weve been waiting for! The moment weve been planning months for! The moment weve been dreaming of! It is finally the moment we get to hear that oh-so-magical seven-note horn blast
When You Wish Upon a Starrrrrrrrrrr! And with that, the ship starts gently easing away from the dock and toward the open sea! And some of us cry
Family members are looking at each other and saying, Whats next??? Let the cruisin fun begin!!!!!!!!!!
Some will do more exploring of the ship. Some will do more swimming. Some will get in line to try the Aqua Duck! Some will do some more eating!
Gotta love Eye Scream Treats on Deck 11! Those with Main Dining are getting ready to head to your first dinner rotation restaurant! Which will it be? Animators Palette? Enchanted Garden? Royal Palace? Our table number, dining time, and dining rotation are coded on our Key to the World Cards and we also have a ticket with the same information lying on the desk in our cabin. One really nice thing about dinners onboard a Disney Cruise is that there is absolutely no need to arrive at your assigned dinner restaurant early. Seating will not begin before the published time (usually 5:45pm for Main Dining and 8:15pm for late dining) and we each have our very own reserved table! Seating occurs amazingly fast because all the servers and head servers are lined up and ready to escort us all to our assigned tables in an extremely quick and orderly fashion! Theres no checking in at the podium or beepers to contend with, just hold out your KTTW card (or the ticket that was in your room) with your table number and off you go! We will soon meet our server and assistant server who will travel from restaurant to restaurant with us each night. If you are new to DCL, you can't yet even imagine how much you will come to love
your servers in these four short nights... and how much you will miss their attentive pampering once you return home. Well also get to know our tablemates while looking over the dinner menu. Remember, if you can't decide between two entrees (or appetizers, or salad/soups, or desserts
), it's perfectly all right to order them all!!!
Those of us with Late Dining will be sitting comfortably in the Walt Disney Theatre, getting ready to watch the new and improved Golden Mickeys stage show. Well plan to arrive at the Walt Disney Theatre early so we can see the Red Carpet interviews that begin 15 minutes before show time! A live camera will be set up outside the theater doors and an emcee will be on hand to interview children as they enter the theater. The entire unscripted pre-show is shown on the huge screen inside the theater and often the childrens responses are hilarious!
Where do you like to sit? If you enjoy being in the midst of all of the special effects, then the lower level seats closer to the stage is where youll want to be.
Dont forget that the Dream also has balcony seating with a wide view of the entire stage!
The whole dinner/show process is repeated in reverse a little later when the recently-stuffed-to-the-gills main diners waddle their way to the Walt Disney Theatre in time for the Red Carpet interviews while those of us with late dining head to our designated dinner rotation restaurant for our post 8pm seating.
The kids clubs are finally open for children to be checked-in now that tours and family time are over. This is good news to the kids who have been (im)patiently waiting for their own fun to begin and particularly good news for the parents who are ready to jettison their children off so they can have a little fun of their own! Adults - if youve never watched Match Your Mate, I highly recommend it (usually at 10:30pm in Evolution)! Its basically an uncensored version of The Newlywed Game with three couples chosen from the audience: the most recently married couple, the couple married the longest, and then a randomly chosen very outgoing couple. Most of the time, the older couple is not only the funniest, but also the winner! Late evenings are the perfect time to stroll the upper decks and look at the stars. You can also catch a movie on either the huge outdoor Funnel Vision screen or in the Buena Vista Theatre. As always, there are several activities listed in the Navigator to choose from.
All too soon, its time to pick the children up from the Kids Clubs and make our way back to our cabins for the night. As we near our cabin door we notice little bulges in our Fish Extender pockets! Can it be??? Have goodies already been delivered in our FEs?!?
Woohoo, they have! Exciting! As we enter the cabin, we are greeted by our first towel animal on the bed! Awwwww, cute! The little wrapped chocolate bars scattered nearby from the turn-down service are quickly gobbled up. Were tempted to read through tomorrows Navigator, but were so tired that we know if we do, well just fall asleep sitting up! While the kids are in the tub, we call room service and order milk and cookies as one last surprise of the day after all, the kids are on vacation, too! And while were at it, we go ahead and put in a "standing order" for milk and cookies to be delivered Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights, too! (We are awesome parents!)
After a short discussion over who gets the top bunk with the painted stars on the ceiling
, the kids are lovingly tucked into their beds. We turn the TV on to one of the Disney music channels and set the volume down low to lull the kids to sleep. Within minutes, theyre out for the night.
Now for some quiet adult time! Those with a verandah quietly slip outside on the deck
, some with a glass of wine brought onboard just for this special time. Everything is so peaceful you can barely hear the sound of the ship cutting through the water and it practically lulls you to sleep. Looking up, there appears to be a million stars in the sky. Looking down, you see the neon glow of the ships running lights reflecting off the water. Looking aft, you can see the phenomenon of phosphorescent algae that leaves a glowing green trail when churned up from the wake of a large ship at night. Soon, inside our cabins, we are ready to pull the curtain that closes off the kids side of the cabin and snuggle into our own comfy bed as the gentle motion of the ship rocks us to sleep. Before long, were dreaming about the rest of the fun to come! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
yes there is a 2nd FE group being formed. Send me all your details by Private Message and I will add you as soon as I am able. 
