Disney Dream Review -- May 4-8, 2015

[Weedy]

Any plastic card will work.
Why an extra card is nice... My friend was in the shower her husband was going to drop the kids off at the kids club. He grabbed his card from the key slot and left with the kids... A few minutes later all the lights went out. Oops lol

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

We were on the May 4-8, 2015 4-night cruise. This was my 15th cruise but my first with Disney. Previously we cruised with Carnival, NCL, Royal Caribbean and Cunard. Was the Disney cruise better than any other cruise line as far as food? No. In some cases, I found food on other cruise lines to be better. Was it better as far as the pools, deck lay-out, etc.? No. Again, I found other cruise lines to have larger pools and much better deck space. But when it came to entertainment and magic, that’s where Disney ranks above everyone else. We had a fantastic time and my nieces (ages 6 & 9) were in awe of meeting so many characters, seeing Tinkerbell fly and seeing it snow in the theater, etc. We all had a fantastic time.

PROS: Everything Disney – from the magic in the shows to the character meet and greets. Also, the ship was beautiful. The beds were SO comfortable – best sleep I’ve had in a while. The kids club was great.

CONS: Pools were too small. Having to leave a key card in the slot by the door to keep your lights on was ridiculous. Never have I encountered any other cruise lines that does that. I also think the gratuities are a little high. Not for adults, but for children. It should be half of what the adults pay (like what other cruise lines do).

All in all, we had a wonderful time. I would definitely cruise Disney again with children because seeing it through their eyes was priceless. But if it was just adults, I would go with another cruise line.

I AGREE! Just got off the Dream yesterday. I didn't find the beds comfortable to the point of something special or out of the ordinary though and the the only "magic" we experienced was the "magic" I created on my own for DS. The character lines were ridiculously long and did not move fast like others on here suggested. We EASILY stayed in line for at least an hour and I'll be darned if we didn't always end up in the 2nd half of the line, where Mickey and Minnie needed to take a 5-10 break to "powder their noses". This was a nightmare with a squirmy, restless 12 month old. Especially, when the long wait in line ran into his nap time!

I did appreciate the little things that made cruising with a baby easy (the pack n play, diaper genie and tub). DS also enjoyed seeing Mickey and Minnie. NO ONE went out of their way to provide great service for us, like I've read on here prior to our first Disney cruise. I'm hoping this was a fluke. I booked a placeholder onboard in hopes of giving another Disney cruise ship a try. If not, we will be back on NCL where the food is excellent, the prices are great and the kids clubs are great (so I've heard from a few pint size friends).

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

I appreciate your reply. However, unless things have changed since I went on a cruise withNCL a few years ago, my niece only had to pay five dollars per night. This cruise on the Disney dream is the first one I've taken since then so maybe things have changed…

The last time I cruised NCL (2011), the gratuities were half price for kids and free under a certain age.

 

[disney1474]

Just got off the Dream & thought it was the absolute hands-down best cruise/vacation we have ever been on. Food was great. Service was outstanding. Cleanest ship I have ever stepped foot on.

We agree! went on the April 13th cruise and food and service were great!!

 

[disney1474]

The card tip is a good idea. Will any sort of card work that fits in the slot.

2lityleprincesses, I am SO glad to hear that the ship was very clean.

We used a used up gift card and worked. never had to touch it the whole trip.

 

[godisneyboat]

I use the key card from my hotel the night before and it's no problem. We actually used a heavy card-stock business card once and it was fine. Yes, your stateroom host might slip it up so that it's not using power, but it's a simple matter of pushing it back down a few millimeters to have lights again.

I think most of the people who find it "annoying" are the ones who think they must use their KTTW card so they'd have to remove it from the lanyard or whatever.

Absolutely wish I had seen this post before we sailed last Monday......no where had I seen this about the card and the slot, first time on the Dream class had sailed previously on Magic and Wonder. When checking in no one mentioned the card in the slot and it took us about 20 minutes and actually someone in the hall told us how to turn on the electricity to our state room........I read a lot of post and had never seen this before.....so new Dream Class sailors beware......

 

[MelSpees]

The card thing for the lights is kind of obnoxious but just hold onto your key from your last cruise and use it on the next or any card will work. We were even given one in our fish extender gifts, a great idea! The room host would usually pull it out when they came in the room and no one was present but I didn't care.

The idea of having you use the card is so you won't leave the lights on when you leave the room. While I totally agree with using a different card, it is important to remove or slide it so the lights go out. That's why the room host would remove it. (But I'm the kind that always turns off the lights when I leave a room, and turn down the heat in unused rooms.)

 

[jpeppers]

I would generally remove it myself but sometimes forgot. It is just nice to have a separate card. Sometimes my daughter or I take off at different times and it is nice not having to switch cards so the other person can take there room key with them.

 

[Flossbolna]

The key card general light switch is actually pretty much standard in all newer hotels in Europe. I would say it started at least 15 years ago or so...