NewDisneyCruiseFan
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2011
- Messages
- 8
To start, let me summarize everything by saying the ship was great (it still had that new ship smell), Castaway Cay was great, the cast members were all outstanding, and it was an unbelievable trip.
While my wife and I had sailed on a Carnival cruise a couple of years ago, this was our first Disney cruise (along with our eleven year old son). Because of the great experience, we don't think we will ever consider another cruise line.
As we had driven to Florida and arrived in Port Canaveral the day before the sailing, we stayed at the Country Inn & Suites because of the cruise and park special. For $20 you can park your vehicle at the hotel during your cruise and they provide a shuttle to and from the port; Dwayne the shuttle driver was great.
Security and check-in at the terminal were both a breeze we were done within ten minutes of arriving (which was around 11:00 AM). The terminal quickly got very busy and crowded with lots of people sitting on the floor. When they starting calling groups to board, it was just like at an airport as everyone was crowding around the entrance trying to be the first to board in their group. I wish Disney would have had cast members clear the way as we had to squeeze through people just standing around.
The cast member announcing our arrival had a very difficult time understanding the pronunciation of our last name. Next time, we are just going to use our first names for the grand arrival announcement.
After boarding we went up to deck eleven to get something to eat and then we started exploring the ship. As other people had posted, we wish Disney had pocket size deck plans versus the large fold out brochure-type. Eventually we started to get our bearings and had found the way to the key parts of the ship (i.e. the Spa and Edge club).
We got to our stateroom about 1:45 PM and our luggage starting arriving during the next hour. We had a category 4A on deck 9. The cabin was great with lots of storage space especially as all of our luggage (five suitcase yes, we over packed) fit under the bed. The only complaint about the stateroom was with the clock. First, we could never figure out how to use an ipod with it, and second, it was very very bright at night.
Nigel, our steward, did an equally great job of keeping the room clean and keeping himself invisible. We were expecting the steward to stop by, introduce him/herself, let us know how to reach him/her if there was an issue, etc., etc. We didnt even see him until we were leaving for dinner that night and he was walking down the hall with some towels. When we did see him in the hall throughout the cruise, he was always very friendly, but, it just seemed strange that he didn't stop by the first day.
The lifeboat/safety drill was relatively quick and painless as our muster station was the Buena Vista Theater. There was no walking around the ship wearing the life jackets and trying to squeeze on deck as we did on the Carnival cruise. We did have our son try on the life jacket so he would be able to figure it out just in case. They are not the normal, slip over your head kind as they are folded up into a small square. You unfold the jacket and then put it over your head.
The sail away party was okay but felt more like a Disney commercial pitching all of the things to do on the cruise. For example, I think we already know that the Dream has the Aquaduck we dont need the cast members singing about it and showing us a video while we stand there watching people in the Aquaduck ride by overhead. The terminal cast members waving from the pier with their Mouse-hands was a nice gesture (as it was when the Castaway Cay cast members did the same thing).
The food each night was outstanding. On the first night, our server, Ranzil, had our table ready with place card for our son. He knew all of our names and his level of service helped to make our cruise that much more enjoyable. As a side note, we felt bad for him as he had a table of ten kids (average age was probably six) that never had any adults with them. While the adults were at the next table, we felt that an extra burden had been placed on the wait staff in leaving a table full of kids to pretty much be on their own each night.
At the end of the main course and before desert was served, Ranzil would give our son a crayon puzzle to figure out. For example, he made a horse figure using one crayon for the head, one for the neck, one for the body, one for the tail, and two for legs. We had to figure out how to move only two crayons to have the horse change the direction it was facing. Of the four puzzles, we were only able to figure out one but it was always very entertaining. Tundi was the assistant server and was a very nice person. While there were a couple of delays in getting some drinks, we gave her the benefit of the doubt as it was her first cruise. The head server, Gaiton, was pleasant and always stopped by our table at least twice during our meal.
We were concerned about the adult food and if it would be too fancy for our son (we didnt want him eating chicken strips every night). While the menus did contain some exotic dishes (e.g. wild boar), we were able to mix and match between the kids and adult menus to make sure our son had something he would enjoy each night.
On the fourth day, the day at sea, the water was a bit rough which made for some queasiness at dinner. The cast members did a great job in immediately addressing any messes (at one point, I think there were more housekeeping cast members than wait staff). While Disney did a great job in dealing with upset stomachs, we wish some of the parents used some common sense in dealing with the situation. For example, at the table of ten kids next to us, at least two of the kids spent the entire dinner being sick in plastic bags. Maybe Im a bit strange, but, its my opinion that if your child needs a plastic bag due to seasickness, take him/her back to the cabin; dont subject other guests to the sight, sound, etc. of your child being sick.
Wanting to take advantage of the advanced booking discount, reduced deposit, and on-board credit, we were going to book a cruise for the inaugural season on the Fantasy while we were onboard the Dream. When we talked to the advanced booking person, she told us that they were only booking 2011 cruises. We could book with our travel agent for 2012 and still receive the credit, discount, etc. if we did so within two weeks of the end of our cruise, but, she forgot to mention that we had to fill out a future bookings form to receive the discounts as our travel agent was told last week when she tried to book a cruise for us.
Debarkation was semi-smooth. While the cruise director said that the luggage handlers would try to put all your bags together, it didnt work out that way for us. The luggage area in the terminal seems to be small for the number of bags involved with a ship the size of the Dream. Luggage was buried on the various racks and it was difficult to move through the aisles because of the bags stacked on top of each other. Hopefully Disney or the Port Authority will be expanding this part of the terminal.
A few quick things
If you plan on arriving at the terminal early to get a low group number, bring some snacks and drinks. (If there were vending machines, I couldnt find them.)
The Aquaduck was fun we rode it nine times. Its not a fast ride but it is fun. When judging the line, please note that there are two levels of stairs inside the funnel. We averaged a ten-minute wait once we got to the bottom of the stairs in the funnel.
Some of the live artwork and activity cameras were not working. For example, the cameras that take your picture riding the Aquaduck were out of order the entire time.
The Midship Detective Agency game was really fun but be prepared for a lot of walking; its a good way to find your way around on Day One.
The ship could have used a couple of more elevators midship. By the second day, we were taking whatever elevator had space because the wait was so long. We may have rode up to eventually ride down, but, at least we were in an elevator.
Our son enjoyed the Edge club. While he would go during the day, I think he liked the independence of going to/from the club on his own versus the different games/activities. While there were some ice-breaker games and such, it seemed that a lot of things were geared towards groups of kids traveling together.
The self-service laundry machines were a bit confusing to use as they had not yet put the idiots guide instructions on the machines (they did so on the last day).
The in-room TVs have limited channels (ABC was the only network along with CNN, ESPN, and the various Disney channels), but, they did have great On Demand videos and movies, including some non-Disney movies (Megamind was one of the new releases).
While there were a couple of rough spots during the trip, there was nothing that would cause us to rate this cruise as less than a ten out of ten.
I will be glad to try to answer any questions or provide additional information.
While my wife and I had sailed on a Carnival cruise a couple of years ago, this was our first Disney cruise (along with our eleven year old son). Because of the great experience, we don't think we will ever consider another cruise line.
As we had driven to Florida and arrived in Port Canaveral the day before the sailing, we stayed at the Country Inn & Suites because of the cruise and park special. For $20 you can park your vehicle at the hotel during your cruise and they provide a shuttle to and from the port; Dwayne the shuttle driver was great.
Security and check-in at the terminal were both a breeze we were done within ten minutes of arriving (which was around 11:00 AM). The terminal quickly got very busy and crowded with lots of people sitting on the floor. When they starting calling groups to board, it was just like at an airport as everyone was crowding around the entrance trying to be the first to board in their group. I wish Disney would have had cast members clear the way as we had to squeeze through people just standing around.
The cast member announcing our arrival had a very difficult time understanding the pronunciation of our last name. Next time, we are just going to use our first names for the grand arrival announcement.
After boarding we went up to deck eleven to get something to eat and then we started exploring the ship. As other people had posted, we wish Disney had pocket size deck plans versus the large fold out brochure-type. Eventually we started to get our bearings and had found the way to the key parts of the ship (i.e. the Spa and Edge club).
We got to our stateroom about 1:45 PM and our luggage starting arriving during the next hour. We had a category 4A on deck 9. The cabin was great with lots of storage space especially as all of our luggage (five suitcase yes, we over packed) fit under the bed. The only complaint about the stateroom was with the clock. First, we could never figure out how to use an ipod with it, and second, it was very very bright at night.
Nigel, our steward, did an equally great job of keeping the room clean and keeping himself invisible. We were expecting the steward to stop by, introduce him/herself, let us know how to reach him/her if there was an issue, etc., etc. We didnt even see him until we were leaving for dinner that night and he was walking down the hall with some towels. When we did see him in the hall throughout the cruise, he was always very friendly, but, it just seemed strange that he didn't stop by the first day.
The lifeboat/safety drill was relatively quick and painless as our muster station was the Buena Vista Theater. There was no walking around the ship wearing the life jackets and trying to squeeze on deck as we did on the Carnival cruise. We did have our son try on the life jacket so he would be able to figure it out just in case. They are not the normal, slip over your head kind as they are folded up into a small square. You unfold the jacket and then put it over your head.
The sail away party was okay but felt more like a Disney commercial pitching all of the things to do on the cruise. For example, I think we already know that the Dream has the Aquaduck we dont need the cast members singing about it and showing us a video while we stand there watching people in the Aquaduck ride by overhead. The terminal cast members waving from the pier with their Mouse-hands was a nice gesture (as it was when the Castaway Cay cast members did the same thing).
The food each night was outstanding. On the first night, our server, Ranzil, had our table ready with place card for our son. He knew all of our names and his level of service helped to make our cruise that much more enjoyable. As a side note, we felt bad for him as he had a table of ten kids (average age was probably six) that never had any adults with them. While the adults were at the next table, we felt that an extra burden had been placed on the wait staff in leaving a table full of kids to pretty much be on their own each night.
At the end of the main course and before desert was served, Ranzil would give our son a crayon puzzle to figure out. For example, he made a horse figure using one crayon for the head, one for the neck, one for the body, one for the tail, and two for legs. We had to figure out how to move only two crayons to have the horse change the direction it was facing. Of the four puzzles, we were only able to figure out one but it was always very entertaining. Tundi was the assistant server and was a very nice person. While there were a couple of delays in getting some drinks, we gave her the benefit of the doubt as it was her first cruise. The head server, Gaiton, was pleasant and always stopped by our table at least twice during our meal.
We were concerned about the adult food and if it would be too fancy for our son (we didnt want him eating chicken strips every night). While the menus did contain some exotic dishes (e.g. wild boar), we were able to mix and match between the kids and adult menus to make sure our son had something he would enjoy each night.
On the fourth day, the day at sea, the water was a bit rough which made for some queasiness at dinner. The cast members did a great job in immediately addressing any messes (at one point, I think there were more housekeeping cast members than wait staff). While Disney did a great job in dealing with upset stomachs, we wish some of the parents used some common sense in dealing with the situation. For example, at the table of ten kids next to us, at least two of the kids spent the entire dinner being sick in plastic bags. Maybe Im a bit strange, but, its my opinion that if your child needs a plastic bag due to seasickness, take him/her back to the cabin; dont subject other guests to the sight, sound, etc. of your child being sick.
Wanting to take advantage of the advanced booking discount, reduced deposit, and on-board credit, we were going to book a cruise for the inaugural season on the Fantasy while we were onboard the Dream. When we talked to the advanced booking person, she told us that they were only booking 2011 cruises. We could book with our travel agent for 2012 and still receive the credit, discount, etc. if we did so within two weeks of the end of our cruise, but, she forgot to mention that we had to fill out a future bookings form to receive the discounts as our travel agent was told last week when she tried to book a cruise for us.
Debarkation was semi-smooth. While the cruise director said that the luggage handlers would try to put all your bags together, it didnt work out that way for us. The luggage area in the terminal seems to be small for the number of bags involved with a ship the size of the Dream. Luggage was buried on the various racks and it was difficult to move through the aisles because of the bags stacked on top of each other. Hopefully Disney or the Port Authority will be expanding this part of the terminal.
A few quick things
If you plan on arriving at the terminal early to get a low group number, bring some snacks and drinks. (If there were vending machines, I couldnt find them.)
The Aquaduck was fun we rode it nine times. Its not a fast ride but it is fun. When judging the line, please note that there are two levels of stairs inside the funnel. We averaged a ten-minute wait once we got to the bottom of the stairs in the funnel.
Some of the live artwork and activity cameras were not working. For example, the cameras that take your picture riding the Aquaduck were out of order the entire time.
The Midship Detective Agency game was really fun but be prepared for a lot of walking; its a good way to find your way around on Day One.
The ship could have used a couple of more elevators midship. By the second day, we were taking whatever elevator had space because the wait was so long. We may have rode up to eventually ride down, but, at least we were in an elevator.
Our son enjoyed the Edge club. While he would go during the day, I think he liked the independence of going to/from the club on his own versus the different games/activities. While there were some ice-breaker games and such, it seemed that a lot of things were geared towards groups of kids traveling together.
The self-service laundry machines were a bit confusing to use as they had not yet put the idiots guide instructions on the machines (they did so on the last day).
The in-room TVs have limited channels (ABC was the only network along with CNN, ESPN, and the various Disney channels), but, they did have great On Demand videos and movies, including some non-Disney movies (Megamind was one of the new releases).
While there were a couple of rough spots during the trip, there was nothing that would cause us to rate this cruise as less than a ten out of ten.
I will be glad to try to answer any questions or provide additional information.
It was our first cruise and we enjoyed it and will sail again with Disney. I haven't gotten around to writing a trip report.
