April 17, 2011 on the Dream
- Thread starter outahere
- Start date
Deb T.
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- Sep 17, 1999
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Nope.
The parking rate is currently $15/day and rumored to rise to $20/day soon. Also, I think payment is required when you pull in to park??
Deb T.
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Took me a while to find it, but here's what I have in my notes:
4-Night Cruise:
1st night - Cruise Casual
2nd night - Dress-up night (they're not calling it formal for these sailings) - Nassau
3rd night - Pirate Night or Cruise Casual - Castaway Cay
4th night - Cruise Casual - At Sea
And while I'm at it, here it is for the B2B'ers...
3-Night Cruise:
1st night - Cruise Casual
2nd night - Pirate night or Cruise Casual - Nassau
3rd night - Dress-up night - Castaway Cay
Deb T.
DIS Veteran
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Wow - I'd never heard about that option. It would be great, though! Be sure to let us know what you find out!
Deb T.
DIS Veteran
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It is Sunday, and exactly 5 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 it 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 breathing at the wondrous sight of her! Look! Theres Sorcerer Mickey hanging off the ship! We'll drive through a security check point to verify we're cruising that day with a silly grin on our faces, then hand our luggage over to the porters, tip them, and walk inside the glass doors. 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. 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 flooring 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 scale 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 planned activities. White 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 out 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'll watch some of the preparations underway for our arrival, such as luggage piled high inside huge rolling metal caged bins that are being carefully eased up gangway planks on fork-lifts, disappearing into the hull of the ship, that will magically appear outside our cabin doors around 3pm!
Even if you were the first to arrive at 10am, time will pass quickly in the terminal. There is so much to observe (people-watching is very fascinating here!)! Before we know it, the first boarding announcement is made, and the concierge and platinum guests will start walking toward the big yellow ears! That's our cue! Boarding Number 2's will start surging toward the line for their turn. Another boarding announcement, and off we go! Through the ears, the first swipe of our Key to the World card, a quick embarkation family photo, across the gangway ramp, a request for our name, the sight of the huge chandelier catches our eye, then we notice twenty or so very impressive white uniformed smiling officers and 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 Buffet! Which way would you like to go the Enchanted Garden or Cabanas?
More of Sunday to follow this afternoon
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 it 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 breathing at the wondrous sight of her! Look! Theres Sorcerer Mickey hanging off the ship! We'll drive through a security check point to verify we're cruising that day with a silly grin on our faces, then hand our luggage over to the porters, tip them, and walk inside the glass doors. 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. 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 flooring 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 scale 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 planned activities. White 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 out 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'll watch some of the preparations underway for our arrival, such as luggage piled high inside huge rolling metal caged bins that are being carefully eased up gangway planks on fork-lifts, disappearing into the hull of the ship, that will magically appear outside our cabin doors around 3pm!
Even if you were the first to arrive at 10am, time will pass quickly in the terminal. There is so much to observe (people-watching is very fascinating here!)! Before we know it, the first boarding announcement is made, and the concierge and platinum guests will start walking toward the big yellow ears! That's our cue! Boarding Number 2's will start surging toward the line for their turn. Another boarding announcement, and off we go! Through the ears, the first swipe of our Key to the World card, a quick embarkation family photo, across the gangway ramp, a request for our name, the sight of the huge chandelier catches our eye, then we notice twenty or so very impressive white uniformed smiling officers and 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 Buffet! Which way would you like to go the Enchanted Garden or Cabanas?
More of Sunday to follow this afternoon
princessdaisy
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- Jun 3, 2003
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The Enchanted Garden will be open for lunch too? Does anyone know if it will be buffet lunch like Cabanas on the first day?
Deb T.
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Yup and yup. Both are buffets, but recent trip reports have noted that there is a slightly larger selection at the station-style Cabanas than at Enchanted Garden.
Here are the operating times that recent Navigators have posted:
Cabana's noon to 3:15pm
Enchanted Garden 11:45am to 2pm
outahere
DIS Veteran
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- Aug 12, 2002
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- 5,561
I've read that it is a buffet. If it is similar to Parrot Cay on the Magic and Wonder (and I think it is), you will shown to a seat and a server will take your drink order. Then you proceed to the buffet line to select your lunch. After you finish (or go back for seconds, thirds. etc.) you head to the dessert table.
outahere
DIS Veteran
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- Aug 12, 2002
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- 5,561
More of Sunday to follow this afternoon
GREAT running commentary on the morning in the terminal. Exactly how it happens!
Even though we were just there three weeks ago, to board the Magic, it seems like forever.
Deb T.
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- Messages
- 3,531
We left off having just boarded the Dream and were headed to the scrumptious Welcome Aboard Buffet Luncheon! Some will head straight down the Grand Staircase to Deck 2’s Enchanted Garden, which is where the crew will guide you, but some of us will say that we’d rather go to up to Deck 11 and Cabana’s. Both restaurants will have nearly identical buffet spreads, however Cabana’s is reported to have a few extra items and you will have to carry your drinks on your tray and get your own refills, whereas Enchanted Garden has wait staff that will bring you your drinks and refills. Enchanted Garden has all inside seating, but at Cabana’s you can opt for either inside or outside seating, although it is always windy and the seagulls are aggressively awaiting your leftovers. If your little ones are eager to start swimming, you can actually take your trays full of food out of Cabana’s 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 Flo’s Café: Luigi’s Pizza, Tow-Mater’s Grill, and Fillmore’s Favorites. Oh yeah, and don’t forget about 24-hour room service! Ahhh yes, there’s certainly not a shortage of food on this cruise! 
While going through the buffet line, we'll take time to look at all of the ice sculptures and food sculptures! It’s 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 of all the food choices laid out before you! My favorite… unlimited shrimp cocktail! Yummmmmmmmmmm!
After lunch, we have time to wander around and become familiar with the layout of the ship. This is the only opportunity to tour the Oceaneer Club, Oceaneer Lab, Edge Tween Club, Vibe, It’s a Small World Nursery, and Senses Spa before they are reserved exclusively for age-appropriate guests. Our cabins will be ready at 1:30pm and we can hardly wait to see them! We also can't wait for Shutters to open around 5pm so we can look for our embarkation photos! The gift shops won’t open until around 6pm but, in the meantime, it’s fun to look at all of the gorgeous window displays and do a little window shopping! At 1pm, some will get in line at D Lounge to snag a Palo brunch or dinner, or a Remy experience, or to try to change their dining time. Here’s Pixie Dust
that all your desires are granted!
At the 1:30 cabin rope drop, we'll all surge toward our staterooms! Oh - there's the silver fish (starfish, or seahorse) beside the door that Deb T.'s been talking about 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 wave it in front of the small silver panel by the door handle and we’re in! Hooray! We'll oooh and aaaah as we run around checking out every nook and cranny. And if we remember, we’ll hurry and snap photos before our cabins look “lived-in”. Ahhhh, smell the H2O shampoo! Cute towels! Look at all the hidden Mickeys in the cabin! There are the new Wave phones! Let’s see how they work! Castaway Club Members (returning cruisers) will find their gifts laying on the bed. Some us will also find vouchers indicating any OBC’s we may have accrued from travel agents, booking onboard, booking online, or paying with Disney VISA. Those with a Virtual Porthole will keep a keen eye on it, soooo eager to spot the first of a dozen or so Disney characters and their magical antics! Within a few minutes, some will experience a cruise ship “power flush”. (You repeat cruisers are snickering right now… hehe… “Stand back kids!!!” 
) 
Our suitcases will start arriving soon and we're anxious to unpack and make this cabin “ours!”, but in the meantime we've got a DIS Meet & Greet to attend! Hooray – we finally get to put faces with DIS names! So, up we go to Deck 13 forward to find the “Family Zone” for our quick 2:00-2:30pm event. It’s so nice to meet everyone we’ve been “chatting” with for so long! We wish we had more time here, but soon it’s time to start our “Cabin Crawl” at 2:30pm! We’re happy for the opportunity to see what the other Dream cabins look like, and will make our way though a sampling of Categories 4A/B, 5C/E, 6A, 8B, and 11B.
Around 3:30pm, we’ll start heading back to our cabins to meet up with our families for the mandatory Life Boat Drill. We will be very glad not to have to wear those bright orange life vests this time! But, a few of us will still want to snap a couple of photos with them on in our cabins.
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 it’s over, we’ll head up to deck 11 to the Donald/Mickey Pool area for the always fun Adventure’s Away deck party at 4:30pm! Woohoo! It’s time to party – really party! – Disney Cruise style! The family Donald Pool has disappeared and a large dance deck is in now in front of the stage! The music starts and the energetic entertainment staff appears out of nowhere to get the party started! You can’t 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! The moment we’ve been waiting for! The moment we’ve been planning months for! The moment we’ve been dreaming of! It’s finally the moment we get to hear that magical seven-note horn blast… “When You Wish Upon a Starrrrrrrrrrr”! Woohoooooooo! And with that, the ship starts gently easing away from the dock and toward the open sea! And some of us cry…
More of Sunday to follow this evening…
While going through the buffet line, we'll take time to look at all of the ice sculptures and food sculptures! It’s 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 of all the food choices laid out before you! My favorite… unlimited shrimp cocktail! Yummmmmmmmmmm!
After lunch, we have time to wander around and become familiar with the layout of the ship. This is the only opportunity to tour the Oceaneer Club, Oceaneer Lab, Edge Tween Club, Vibe, It’s a Small World Nursery, and Senses Spa before they are reserved exclusively for age-appropriate guests. Our cabins will be ready at 1:30pm and we can hardly wait to see them! We also can't wait for Shutters to open around 5pm so we can look for our embarkation photos! The gift shops won’t open until around 6pm but, in the meantime, it’s fun to look at all of the gorgeous window displays and do a little window shopping! At 1pm, some will get in line at D Lounge to snag a Palo brunch or dinner, or a Remy experience, or to try to change their dining time. Here’s Pixie Dust
that all your desires are granted! At the 1:30 cabin rope drop, we'll all surge toward our staterooms! Oh - there's the silver fish (starfish, or seahorse) beside the door that Deb T.'s been talking about 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 wave it in front of the small silver panel by the door handle and we’re in! Hooray! We'll oooh and aaaah as we run around checking out every nook and cranny. And if we remember, we’ll hurry and snap photos before our cabins look “lived-in”. Ahhhh, smell the H2O shampoo! Cute towels! Look at all the hidden Mickeys in the cabin! There are the new Wave phones! Let’s see how they work! Castaway Club Members (returning cruisers) will find their gifts laying on the bed. Some us will also find vouchers indicating any OBC’s we may have accrued from travel agents, booking onboard, booking online, or paying with Disney VISA. Those with a Virtual Porthole will keep a keen eye on it, soooo eager to spot the first of a dozen or so Disney characters and their magical antics! Within a few minutes, some will experience a cruise ship “power flush”. (You repeat cruisers are snickering right now… hehe… “Stand back kids!!!” ) Our suitcases will start arriving soon and we're anxious to unpack and make this cabin “ours!”, but in the meantime we've got a DIS Meet & Greet to attend! Hooray – we finally get to put faces with DIS names! So, up we go to Deck 13 forward to find the “Family Zone” for our quick 2:00-2:30pm event. It’s so nice to meet everyone we’ve been “chatting” with for so long! We wish we had more time here, but soon it’s time to start our “Cabin Crawl” at 2:30pm! We’re happy for the opportunity to see what the other Dream cabins look like, and will make our way though a sampling of Categories 4A/B, 5C/E, 6A, 8B, and 11B. Around 3:30pm, we’ll start heading back to our cabins to meet up with our families for the mandatory Life Boat Drill. We will be very glad not to have to wear those bright orange life vests this time! But, a few of us will still want to snap a couple of photos with them on in our cabins.
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 it’s over, we’ll head up to deck 11 to the Donald/Mickey Pool area for the always fun Adventure’s Away deck party at 4:30pm! Woohoo! It’s time to party – really party! – Disney Cruise style! The family Donald Pool has disappeared and a large dance deck is in now in front of the stage! The music starts and the energetic entertainment staff appears out of nowhere to get the party started! You can’t 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! The moment we’ve been waiting for! The moment we’ve been planning months for! The moment we’ve been dreaming of! It’s finally the moment we get to hear that magical seven-note horn blast… “When You Wish Upon a Starrrrrrrrrrr”! Woohoooooooo! And with that, the ship starts gently easing away from the dock and toward the open sea! And some of us cry…More of Sunday to follow this evening…
Deb T.
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 17, 1999
- Messages
- 3,531
Thanks!
I love 
doing a countdown. I've done this for my last few cruises and it always puts me right there on the ship (in my mind)... definitely my "happy place"! 
alenushka
DIS Veteran
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- Jun 11, 2010
- Messages
- 661
Deb - what a beautiful post! 
Somehow, I got a tear in my eye when I was reading last paragraph 
I only wish all of you were with us on our first part of the cruise - would have been great to recognize each other while waiting to get on board 
I have a few questions:
1. What is an appropriate amount to tip for luggage? we usually give $20, for our 7+ bags. Is it OK?
2. Four some families (mostly if they have only one child) I made one combined FE gift bag (with adults and their child's gifts in the same bag). If your FE has separate pockets, would you prefer us to put in into your child's?
For families with more than one child: If a family's FE has multiple pockets for each member of their family, but we put all their children's gifts into one bag - where should we put this bag? into youngest child? or into the one that is the "emptiest" at the moment of our "delivery"?
3. I have two packs of Pokemon cards. Are anyone's kids interested in Pokemon?
For those who drive:
Do you have books on CD's? Would you be interested to swap them with us?
I am so excited!
Somehow, I got a tear in my eye when I was reading last paragraph I only wish all of you were with us on our first part of the cruise - would have been great to recognize each other while waiting to get on board I have a few questions:
1. What is an appropriate amount to tip for luggage? we usually give $20, for our 7+ bags. Is it OK?
2. Four some families (mostly if they have only one child) I made one combined FE gift bag (with adults and their child's gifts in the same bag). If your FE has separate pockets, would you prefer us to put in into your child's?
For families with more than one child: If a family's FE has multiple pockets for each member of their family, but we put all their children's gifts into one bag - where should we put this bag? into youngest child? or into the one that is the "emptiest" at the moment of our "delivery"?
3. I have two packs of Pokemon cards. Are anyone's kids interested in Pokemon?
For those who drive:
Do you have books on CD's? Would you be interested to swap them with us?
I am so excited!
2. For some families (mostly if they have only one child) I made one FE gift bag. If your FE has separate packets, would you prefer us to put in into child's?
I am so excited!
Yelena, that's impressive that you have different bags for each child. I stapled gifts together by cabin so nothing got lost in the transport/delivery.
As for books on tape, have you tried the library? I can usually get a number of them at a time without incurring the expense directly. Otherwise, if you can't find any swaps maybe ebay has some good prices.
E.
alenushka
DIS Veteran
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- Jun 11, 2010
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- 661
O-o, I think I did not say it right, sorry if I confused you
I am not impressive at all: I don't have a different bag for each child. I have a bag with a child's and adults' gifts in the same bag; for families with more than one child, I could not fit all kids' gifts in the same bag, so I made ONE for kids and one for adults. Then I thought: how will we deliver them if a family has a FE with multiple pockets for each member of the family? Should we put a bag with gifts for all kids in the pocket for the youngest child, or to the "emptiest" pocket?
Should we put a bag with combined gifts (for adults and their child) into the child's pocket?This is the first time for us participating in FE.
I learned a lot while I was putting all items together last night. If we ever have an opportunity to join FE again, I would do it so differently. 
I packed all gifts last night, and I still have half of the pool table filled with left overs , which are items for younger kids (we don't have so many participants with kids 2-5 ). If they don't join, I will donate these to DD's school .About books:
we will check what's available at our library just prior to the trip, but their selection is not that great. We have a few books, we thought some might be interested to swap.princessdaisy
DIS Veteran
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- Jun 3, 2003
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- 1,064
My son, Riley (9yr) is crazy about Pokemon cards
He would be thrilled to find a pack in our FE holder.
alenushka
DIS Veteran
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- Jun 11, 2010
- Messages
- 661
My son, Riley (9yr) is crazy about Pokemon cards
noted!
Z'sDisneyMom
Mouseketeer
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- Nov 5, 2001
- Messages
- 166
Deb:
I agree with Yelena! Your posts had me tearing up...
So busy all weekend running around with last minute preparations (actually was making door magnets when I read them).
I am super excited now!!!
Thanks for the casual/dress up nights info also.
You take such good care of us
We'll be cruising soon.
Robin
I agree with Yelena! Your posts had me tearing up...
So busy all weekend running around with last minute preparations (actually was making door magnets when I read them).
I am super excited now!!!
Thanks for the casual/dress up nights info also.
You take such good care of us
We'll be cruising soon.
Robin
Ness2289
I'm Almost There...
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2003
- Messages
- 5,213
Deb:
I agree with Yelena! Your posts had me tearing up...
So busy all weekend running around with last minute preparations (actually was making door magnets when I read them).
I am super excited now!!!
Thanks for the casual/dress up nights info also.
You take such good care of us
We'll be cruising soon.
Robin
She sure does! Deb's awesome!
OMG! Why didn't I think of Pokemon cards for boys!!! Connor is so into Pokemon, he got Pokemon Black last Sunday and that is all we have heard about for the past week.
My mom and I put our FE gifts together last night. I think we may have gone overboard - we do have a seperate bag for each child! However, we have so many things we decided to combine into one bag so as not to overwhelm the FE. Plus it cuts down on the amount of bags we have to buy and the bagging process. I am doing the labels this week and next weekend we are stuffing and tagging!
I am thinking of buying Asia Twinkle Toes flip flops from Skechers (for her birthday next weekend)...anyone know anything about them?
Debbie
My mom and I put our FE gifts together last night. I think we may have gone overboard - we do have a seperate bag for each child! However, we have so many things we decided to combine into one bag so as not to overwhelm the FE. Plus it cuts down on the amount of bags we have to buy and the bagging process. I am doing the labels this week and next weekend we are stuffing and tagging!
I am thinking of buying Asia Twinkle Toes flip flops from Skechers (for her birthday next weekend)...anyone know anything about them?
Debbie
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