Justacruiser
Military Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2011
- Messages
- 2,742
Just got on Monday morning from our B2B Cruises on the Disney Dream 4/27-5/1 and 5/1-5/4 2014. It was the DW and myself on the cruises.
We booked at the very last minute and were able to get a MTO and a VGT rate for the cruises, one each. After getting the cruises booked, I learned that we are scheduled with Second Dining. We do NOT prefer second dining, but that is just us. One thing I found that helps us get MAIN dining is request a particular Head Server. I called DCL and asked that Kendall be our Head Server. I also requested to get the same stateroom for both cruises, but because one of the fairs I booked was a VGT, I was not able to get the same stateroom for both cruises. More on that later.
On this board I learned that the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Titusville had a good rate and offered 40% off the ports terminal parking. So, we ended up staying the night there. Very nice hotel with breakfast and only 35 minutes from the terminal with no tolls.
Becuase we are Platinum we weren't tied to a port arrival time, so for the first time we arrived at the port around 11:45am. Lines were extremely long by then for the New Cruisers and the Castaway Club members so for the first time we went to the Concierge Desk and was 3rd in line. By the time we arrived in the terminal, they were already boarding. By the time we got our KTTW Cards, they were boarding number 18. We were able to walk right on.
Once on board, we headed to Cabana's for Lunch. It was already pretty busy so I snagged a table while the DW got her food. Shorly after, we enjoyed our lunch. After lunch, like normal we went and sat out on deck 11, of course over by the ice cream station. They offer vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and banana soft serve. I helped myself to a chocolate AND a chocolate vanilla swirl. Really good stuff.
Because we booked late, we had second dining which we don't prefer as stated previously. So, as according to the Navigator they were assisting cruisers with dining room change requests and Palo/Remy reservations at 1pm in Royal Palace. I was very surprised when I arrived at 1:10 that there was no line. I walked in and asked them to be moved to MAIN dining. I was able to be moved to MAIN dining with Kendall as the Head Server. He is fantastic! He was able to ensure we had the same Server and Assistant Server AND MAIN dinner for the second cruise. Huge deal for us! The cruises was starting out great.
At 1:30 we went to room 10002. That was are assigned room for the 4-day portion of our B2B. The room is two rooms from the bridge and there is no traffic. There is a large overhang on deck 10, but we really don't mind as it keeps the direct sun away. If you want direct sun on your balcony, DO NOT book a room on deck 10 on the Dream or Fantasy. The room was great for us.
Our dinner order was RP, AP, AP, EG for the first leg of the B2B. I enjoy the RP menu probably the best. By now, I know what I want when I get there. I ordered the escargo, french onion soup (was ok, a little runnier than normal), and the beef tenderlion. I don't recall the dersert but I know I added a Mickey Bar every night to my desert request. They are great.
Night one was the Golden Mickey's. Prabably seen it 15 times now and is still worth going to see for us.
Day 2 is Nassau and these days we just stay on the ship. Nothing that interests anymore there. Just us! We did burgers on deck 11 and then went to see the new movies Bears. Wasn't as good as Chimpanzee to us. After that we had dinner at AP. I acutally can't remember what I had there, but it is pretty good, but did have the Mickey Bar. After that we hit the show Villians and sat in the balcony on deck 4 for the first time. Villians is not our favorite show but it was something to do. Just don't appreciate the theme.
Day 3 was CC day. The temp was about 80 degrees with some clouds. Beautiful day! Be sure and wear sunscreen! Had lunch at serinity bay. I had the mahi mahi, hot dog, chicken, beef ribs, and some coleslaw. And then the big chocolate chip cookie with a cup of icecream. Really good stuff.
Back to the ship around 4pm and got ready for pirate night. The Pirate Night Menu is not my favorite but I had the Pot Stickers, Conch Chowder and the beef rib. In my opinion, 1 little beef rib is NOT enough. I will stick with the ribs and CC and order something else. And yes, got the Mickey Bar. Fireworks were great as normal. We go up around 1030 and stand on deck 12 to the left of the stage, over by the stairs. We have seen the deck party so much, we just care about the fireworks. Where we stand is great for a good view. After that we went to the room.
I really like the 4-day cruise that has a sea day AFTER CC. I will never oft of the sea day inbetween again, IF i have the option. Lazy day at sea and again the weather was great. Ate at Cabanas and played some Bingo. Of course didn't win. They had the Gold/Platinum Meet at 5pm. Dinner was at Enchanted Garden. This is the least favorite THEMED restarant for us. We saw Believe again, which is a little slow, but is fine. After that we went up to deck 11 for some pizza and drinks before turn-in.
On our previous B2B's we were able to stay in the same room. This was the first time we had to move. We were required to pack our bags, I left my hang-up stuff in the closet. We had to be downstairs at 9:15 to clear the ship, so we ate first and then went off the ship. We were told to sit in the terminal for about 15 minutes before they began check-in for us. We checked in and sat in the enclosed waiting area up by the big Mickey Ears. There were about 20 of us this cruise. At 10:30 we were escorted back onto the ship and we went straight to our new room 10652. Room was prepared when we got there.
This time we hit Cabana's at noon and were the first there. Much better! Didn't have to look for a table. Our dining room order was RP, EG, and AP. There was fireworks on night three but no pirate menu. In the evenings we did watch a couple of movies on the tv and ew did hit the fireworks.
We did vist PALO on EG night. For us being Platinum the dinner is free, but if you have to pay the $25, I recommend it highly. I appreciate the bread that they provide, we actually got seconds. I ordered the filet, which I still say is one of the best steaks around and ended the meal with the chocolate suflee. Again, if you haven't tried, you should. It is a little stuffy, but not bad. For those that don't like stuffy, you should do PALO once.
Depature day, we packed our stuff and carried everything off the ship at 7am. It was great, in the car by 7:15 after clearing customs.
By the way, back to the 40% off, my parking charge for the week dropped from $120 to $72 dollars, and I thought it was a good place to stay.
I did leave some stuff out, but if you have questions..... ask away. I will post another report when I get back from our 17-24 May 2014 cruise.
We booked at the very last minute and were able to get a MTO and a VGT rate for the cruises, one each. After getting the cruises booked, I learned that we are scheduled with Second Dining. We do NOT prefer second dining, but that is just us. One thing I found that helps us get MAIN dining is request a particular Head Server. I called DCL and asked that Kendall be our Head Server. I also requested to get the same stateroom for both cruises, but because one of the fairs I booked was a VGT, I was not able to get the same stateroom for both cruises. More on that later.
On this board I learned that the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Titusville had a good rate and offered 40% off the ports terminal parking. So, we ended up staying the night there. Very nice hotel with breakfast and only 35 minutes from the terminal with no tolls.
Becuase we are Platinum we weren't tied to a port arrival time, so for the first time we arrived at the port around 11:45am. Lines were extremely long by then for the New Cruisers and the Castaway Club members so for the first time we went to the Concierge Desk and was 3rd in line. By the time we arrived in the terminal, they were already boarding. By the time we got our KTTW Cards, they were boarding number 18. We were able to walk right on.
Once on board, we headed to Cabana's for Lunch. It was already pretty busy so I snagged a table while the DW got her food. Shorly after, we enjoyed our lunch. After lunch, like normal we went and sat out on deck 11, of course over by the ice cream station. They offer vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and banana soft serve. I helped myself to a chocolate AND a chocolate vanilla swirl. Really good stuff.
Because we booked late, we had second dining which we don't prefer as stated previously. So, as according to the Navigator they were assisting cruisers with dining room change requests and Palo/Remy reservations at 1pm in Royal Palace. I was very surprised when I arrived at 1:10 that there was no line. I walked in and asked them to be moved to MAIN dining. I was able to be moved to MAIN dining with Kendall as the Head Server. He is fantastic! He was able to ensure we had the same Server and Assistant Server AND MAIN dinner for the second cruise. Huge deal for us! The cruises was starting out great.
At 1:30 we went to room 10002. That was are assigned room for the 4-day portion of our B2B. The room is two rooms from the bridge and there is no traffic. There is a large overhang on deck 10, but we really don't mind as it keeps the direct sun away. If you want direct sun on your balcony, DO NOT book a room on deck 10 on the Dream or Fantasy. The room was great for us.
Our dinner order was RP, AP, AP, EG for the first leg of the B2B. I enjoy the RP menu probably the best. By now, I know what I want when I get there. I ordered the escargo, french onion soup (was ok, a little runnier than normal), and the beef tenderlion. I don't recall the dersert but I know I added a Mickey Bar every night to my desert request. They are great.
Night one was the Golden Mickey's. Prabably seen it 15 times now and is still worth going to see for us.
Day 2 is Nassau and these days we just stay on the ship. Nothing that interests anymore there. Just us! We did burgers on deck 11 and then went to see the new movies Bears. Wasn't as good as Chimpanzee to us. After that we had dinner at AP. I acutally can't remember what I had there, but it is pretty good, but did have the Mickey Bar. After that we hit the show Villians and sat in the balcony on deck 4 for the first time. Villians is not our favorite show but it was something to do. Just don't appreciate the theme.
Day 3 was CC day. The temp was about 80 degrees with some clouds. Beautiful day! Be sure and wear sunscreen! Had lunch at serinity bay. I had the mahi mahi, hot dog, chicken, beef ribs, and some coleslaw. And then the big chocolate chip cookie with a cup of icecream. Really good stuff.
Back to the ship around 4pm and got ready for pirate night. The Pirate Night Menu is not my favorite but I had the Pot Stickers, Conch Chowder and the beef rib. In my opinion, 1 little beef rib is NOT enough. I will stick with the ribs and CC and order something else. And yes, got the Mickey Bar. Fireworks were great as normal. We go up around 1030 and stand on deck 12 to the left of the stage, over by the stairs. We have seen the deck party so much, we just care about the fireworks. Where we stand is great for a good view. After that we went to the room.
I really like the 4-day cruise that has a sea day AFTER CC. I will never oft of the sea day inbetween again, IF i have the option. Lazy day at sea and again the weather was great. Ate at Cabanas and played some Bingo. Of course didn't win. They had the Gold/Platinum Meet at 5pm. Dinner was at Enchanted Garden. This is the least favorite THEMED restarant for us. We saw Believe again, which is a little slow, but is fine. After that we went up to deck 11 for some pizza and drinks before turn-in.
On our previous B2B's we were able to stay in the same room. This was the first time we had to move. We were required to pack our bags, I left my hang-up stuff in the closet. We had to be downstairs at 9:15 to clear the ship, so we ate first and then went off the ship. We were told to sit in the terminal for about 15 minutes before they began check-in for us. We checked in and sat in the enclosed waiting area up by the big Mickey Ears. There were about 20 of us this cruise. At 10:30 we were escorted back onto the ship and we went straight to our new room 10652. Room was prepared when we got there.
This time we hit Cabana's at noon and were the first there. Much better! Didn't have to look for a table. Our dining room order was RP, EG, and AP. There was fireworks on night three but no pirate menu. In the evenings we did watch a couple of movies on the tv and ew did hit the fireworks.
We did vist PALO on EG night. For us being Platinum the dinner is free, but if you have to pay the $25, I recommend it highly. I appreciate the bread that they provide, we actually got seconds. I ordered the filet, which I still say is one of the best steaks around and ended the meal with the chocolate suflee. Again, if you haven't tried, you should. It is a little stuffy, but not bad. For those that don't like stuffy, you should do PALO once.
Depature day, we packed our stuff and carried everything off the ship at 7am. It was great, in the car by 7:15 after clearing customs.
By the way, back to the 40% off, my parking charge for the week dropped from $120 to $72 dollars, and I thought it was a good place to stay.
I did leave some stuff out, but if you have questions..... ask away. I will post another report when I get back from our 17-24 May 2014 cruise.
