First, here's a little about me, so you get where I'm coming from: no kids; I've been on 3 Disney cruises prior to the Dream (all Wonder) and really enjoyed them; and the cruise is more important to me than all the Disney stuff (don't give a darn about Mickey, Walt and the characters...).
While I didn't expect Dream to be perfect given that it's a new ship, I did expect a top notch experience, given 1) it's Disney; and 2) I'm paying a premium to sail on her compared to comparable cruises. Having seen RCI execute flawlessly on recent Oasis and Allure inaugural cruises, I'm not willing to cut Disney slack and give them a "do over" on my dime.
Specifics:
+ EMBARKATION. We arrived around 1045am by rental car shuttle. You end up in 2 staging areas / lines. The first occurs outside the terminal to pass though the gate. There's a 'security" check where someone looks at your picture ID and ensures you're on the manifest. I have no problem with this; it's just executed poorly. There's very little staff explaining what's going on or why you're waiting in line, the fact that there are actually 2 lines, and you have to dodge the poor porters who are trying to shuttle luggage in the same area. Wait time was approx 20 min for something that could have gone a lot faster. Fortunately, the weather was pleasant; not sure what Disney's plan is it's raining or roasting.
Then you enter the terminal and go through security. This line looks worse than it is. Spent about 15 minutes here.
The last line is for actual check in, and that went fast.
Boarding started around 12noon. The biggest problem is the terminal is way too small for the crowd. The terminal was packed with people. There's insufficient seating; people are crammed in everywhere. We were assigned Boarding # 14 and finally got on around 1245.
+ Stateroom. Had on OV on Deck 2 port side in a mid - forward location.
Good Points:
> Location was AWESOME. Very convenient to forward elevators, dining areas, theatres / bars.
> The room is a good size, especially when compared to rooms on new ships like Oasis and Allure. Tons of storage.
> Still love the separated bathroom.
> Really like the convenience of the new entry method (swipe your card rather than insert it in the door).
> I like getting regular ESPN on the TV.
> AC was excellent.
Bad Points:
> THE STATEROOM BEDS CAN'T BE SEPARATED!!!!!!!! Never seen this before anywhere. I was traveling with a friend and fully expected the larger bed to be separated in 2, just like on every other cruise ship on every other cruise line. Not on the Dream. The beds don't separate. Instead, the options are 1) use the pull out sofa or the pullman bed from the ceiling, neither of which I was interested in.
This may not seem like a big deal to you, but it was to me, as I'm 6'3 (tall, not fat) and just can't curl up anywhere, plus getting a decent night's sleep on vacation is important to me. Once I got over being stunned by the news, we worked with the stateroom attendant and came up with a workable solution; however, Disney needs to disclose this fact much more proactively, just like they note connecting cabins for example.
> The Interactive TV could be improved. You can only view charges on one account, and even then, it doesn't always work due to "system glitches." It's also not very functional, as you can't book excursions or dining reservations.
+ Dining. Probably my biggest complaint. The food is the worst I've experienced in almost 100 cruises on 7 lines - both in terms of quality and selection.
> Breakfast: The buffet setup in Cabanas & Enchanted Garden is inefficient and flawed from the start. First, Disney insists on seating everyone who comes in (not sure why), causing a line. Second, the food is staged in a single serving line, rather than separated islands / stations (like RCI does). The stations are awkwardly positioned and hard to extract food from. For some unknown reason, Disney also chooses to have someone dole out fruit and pastries at breakfast, rather than making them self-service. Not sure if it's because these items are more pricey, or they are too tempting for kids, but whatever the reason is, it leads to yet more lines in rooms that are entirely too small for what they are designed to do. Worst of all, the food is basically inedible - soaked in grease and luke warm if you're lucky. Bread would be toasted on one side and fresh out of the bag on the other. Peanut butter was non-existent and only available upon request, and then only if someone happened to know where it was stashed.
> Lunch. Given the low quality of the breakfast buffet, we had sit-down lunch in the Royal Palace. The service was good and the food quality slightly better.
> Dinner. Probably the biggest disappointment. The service from our wait staff was awesome (very friendly and efficient), but the food was anything but. I found the selection to be limited compared to other cruise lines, the offerings often were lukewarm to downright cold, over-salted, soaked in butter / oil and just generally of poor quality. Food has never been Disney's strong point, but it seems like cost cutting has further eroded the experience.
> Snacks. The fast food fare at Eye Scream, Luigi's Pizza and similar stations (burgers, chicken fingers, etc) was of similar low quality, but I understand Disney is just trying to keep the bellies of the little kids full.
> Palo. This was the only bright spot. Palo lived up to it's billing and exceeded expectations. Loved the food and I was surprised the charge is still only $20pp. Best specialty restaurant at sea, IMO.
> Notes. In general, if you're looking for lighter, healthier fare - forget it. Really hard to find, as is food in general in the evening. Room Service is basically the only option. Animator's Palate - While the new room is very nice and well done, and the Finding Nemo aquarium theme is cute, I just prefer the "old" color-changing version on Magic and Wonder.
+ Entertainment. This used to be the great strength of Disney. While it's still very good, RCI has closed the gap with Oasis and Allure.
> "Golden Mickeys." LOVE this show. The updates are small and consistent with the older version
> "Villains Tonight." With such a rich history and great characters to exploit, I thought this show would be a home run. Instead, it's tedious and the story is all over the place. Pain and Panic are just friggin annoying.
> Comedian / Juggler Dude. Not bad. Seen better, seen worse.
> "Believe." It's okay. Just not as good as the Wonder / Magic tear-jerker (I forget the name).
> Pirate Night Fireworks. LOVE this. Great show.
> Movies. While I didn't care for the movies being shown ("Tron," "Tangled," "I am Number Four,"), I appreciate how Disney shows their current flicks, and the Buena Vista Theatre is big and comfortable with stellar sound.
+ The Ship. Overall, the Dream is nice. Very much like Wonder and Magic, with the classic nautical theme.
> Crowds. Dream doesn't handle crowds well. I felt more crowded on Dream than I ever did on Allure with close to 6000 people.
> Elevators. Forget trying to use the mid-ship elevators - just way too busy. Forward elevators are generally easy to catch. Otherwise the stairs work great!
> Gym. Kinda small, but decent enough, especially on a kid-oriented ship.
> Deck 4 Promenade / Running Track. Worked better than I anticipated, as it's wide enough for people to run and accommodate other traffic.
> Thermal Suite / Rainforest. Very nice. One of the best at sea. Nice variety of "specialty" showers, steamrooms / sauna. whirlpools, and heated tile lounge chairs, all with an awesome view. However, the spa staff needs to enforce access a little better, as it's not uncommon for people who haven't paid to wander in and use the place.
> Pink. Overrated. It's a pale closet with pricey champagne.
> Aqua Duck. Loved it. Lots of fun. Well done.
> Pools. Entirely too small.
> Quiet Adult Pool Area. Not quite as good as on Wonder and Magic, where you can really insulate yourself from all the kids if you want. This seems harder to do on Dream, especially with the Fast Food / Ice Cream stand being right on the "border" of the adult pool area, pulling the kids in like a magnet.
+ Service. In general, service was very good, especially with the dining room wait staff. Guest Relations tried to help when problems were presented and genuinely seemed to care. There did seem to be a lot of people in training, identifiable by their "Earning My Ears" ribbon their name tag.
So in short, if you like a little cruising with your Disney, then the Dream may be for you. However, if the cruise experience matters, think twice - there are too many other options (better options, IMO) out there for the same price (or less) than the premiums Disney is charging to sail on the Dream.
While I didn't expect Dream to be perfect given that it's a new ship, I did expect a top notch experience, given 1) it's Disney; and 2) I'm paying a premium to sail on her compared to comparable cruises. Having seen RCI execute flawlessly on recent Oasis and Allure inaugural cruises, I'm not willing to cut Disney slack and give them a "do over" on my dime.
Specifics:
+ EMBARKATION. We arrived around 1045am by rental car shuttle. You end up in 2 staging areas / lines. The first occurs outside the terminal to pass though the gate. There's a 'security" check where someone looks at your picture ID and ensures you're on the manifest. I have no problem with this; it's just executed poorly. There's very little staff explaining what's going on or why you're waiting in line, the fact that there are actually 2 lines, and you have to dodge the poor porters who are trying to shuttle luggage in the same area. Wait time was approx 20 min for something that could have gone a lot faster. Fortunately, the weather was pleasant; not sure what Disney's plan is it's raining or roasting.
Then you enter the terminal and go through security. This line looks worse than it is. Spent about 15 minutes here.
The last line is for actual check in, and that went fast.
Boarding started around 12noon. The biggest problem is the terminal is way too small for the crowd. The terminal was packed with people. There's insufficient seating; people are crammed in everywhere. We were assigned Boarding # 14 and finally got on around 1245.
+ Stateroom. Had on OV on Deck 2 port side in a mid - forward location.
Good Points:
> Location was AWESOME. Very convenient to forward elevators, dining areas, theatres / bars.
> The room is a good size, especially when compared to rooms on new ships like Oasis and Allure. Tons of storage.
> Still love the separated bathroom.
> Really like the convenience of the new entry method (swipe your card rather than insert it in the door).
> I like getting regular ESPN on the TV.
> AC was excellent.
Bad Points:
> THE STATEROOM BEDS CAN'T BE SEPARATED!!!!!!!! Never seen this before anywhere. I was traveling with a friend and fully expected the larger bed to be separated in 2, just like on every other cruise ship on every other cruise line. Not on the Dream. The beds don't separate. Instead, the options are 1) use the pull out sofa or the pullman bed from the ceiling, neither of which I was interested in.
This may not seem like a big deal to you, but it was to me, as I'm 6'3 (tall, not fat) and just can't curl up anywhere, plus getting a decent night's sleep on vacation is important to me. Once I got over being stunned by the news, we worked with the stateroom attendant and came up with a workable solution; however, Disney needs to disclose this fact much more proactively, just like they note connecting cabins for example.
> The Interactive TV could be improved. You can only view charges on one account, and even then, it doesn't always work due to "system glitches." It's also not very functional, as you can't book excursions or dining reservations.
+ Dining. Probably my biggest complaint. The food is the worst I've experienced in almost 100 cruises on 7 lines - both in terms of quality and selection.
> Breakfast: The buffet setup in Cabanas & Enchanted Garden is inefficient and flawed from the start. First, Disney insists on seating everyone who comes in (not sure why), causing a line. Second, the food is staged in a single serving line, rather than separated islands / stations (like RCI does). The stations are awkwardly positioned and hard to extract food from. For some unknown reason, Disney also chooses to have someone dole out fruit and pastries at breakfast, rather than making them self-service. Not sure if it's because these items are more pricey, or they are too tempting for kids, but whatever the reason is, it leads to yet more lines in rooms that are entirely too small for what they are designed to do. Worst of all, the food is basically inedible - soaked in grease and luke warm if you're lucky. Bread would be toasted on one side and fresh out of the bag on the other. Peanut butter was non-existent and only available upon request, and then only if someone happened to know where it was stashed.
> Lunch. Given the low quality of the breakfast buffet, we had sit-down lunch in the Royal Palace. The service was good and the food quality slightly better.
> Dinner. Probably the biggest disappointment. The service from our wait staff was awesome (very friendly and efficient), but the food was anything but. I found the selection to be limited compared to other cruise lines, the offerings often were lukewarm to downright cold, over-salted, soaked in butter / oil and just generally of poor quality. Food has never been Disney's strong point, but it seems like cost cutting has further eroded the experience.
> Snacks. The fast food fare at Eye Scream, Luigi's Pizza and similar stations (burgers, chicken fingers, etc) was of similar low quality, but I understand Disney is just trying to keep the bellies of the little kids full.
> Palo. This was the only bright spot. Palo lived up to it's billing and exceeded expectations. Loved the food and I was surprised the charge is still only $20pp. Best specialty restaurant at sea, IMO.
> Notes. In general, if you're looking for lighter, healthier fare - forget it. Really hard to find, as is food in general in the evening. Room Service is basically the only option. Animator's Palate - While the new room is very nice and well done, and the Finding Nemo aquarium theme is cute, I just prefer the "old" color-changing version on Magic and Wonder.
+ Entertainment. This used to be the great strength of Disney. While it's still very good, RCI has closed the gap with Oasis and Allure.
> "Golden Mickeys." LOVE this show. The updates are small and consistent with the older version
> "Villains Tonight." With such a rich history and great characters to exploit, I thought this show would be a home run. Instead, it's tedious and the story is all over the place. Pain and Panic are just friggin annoying.
> Comedian / Juggler Dude. Not bad. Seen better, seen worse.
> "Believe." It's okay. Just not as good as the Wonder / Magic tear-jerker (I forget the name).
> Pirate Night Fireworks. LOVE this. Great show.
> Movies. While I didn't care for the movies being shown ("Tron," "Tangled," "I am Number Four,"), I appreciate how Disney shows their current flicks, and the Buena Vista Theatre is big and comfortable with stellar sound.
+ The Ship. Overall, the Dream is nice. Very much like Wonder and Magic, with the classic nautical theme.
> Crowds. Dream doesn't handle crowds well. I felt more crowded on Dream than I ever did on Allure with close to 6000 people.
> Elevators. Forget trying to use the mid-ship elevators - just way too busy. Forward elevators are generally easy to catch. Otherwise the stairs work great!
> Gym. Kinda small, but decent enough, especially on a kid-oriented ship.
> Deck 4 Promenade / Running Track. Worked better than I anticipated, as it's wide enough for people to run and accommodate other traffic.
> Thermal Suite / Rainforest. Very nice. One of the best at sea. Nice variety of "specialty" showers, steamrooms / sauna. whirlpools, and heated tile lounge chairs, all with an awesome view. However, the spa staff needs to enforce access a little better, as it's not uncommon for people who haven't paid to wander in and use the place.
> Pink. Overrated. It's a pale closet with pricey champagne.
> Aqua Duck. Loved it. Lots of fun. Well done.
> Pools. Entirely too small.
> Quiet Adult Pool Area. Not quite as good as on Wonder and Magic, where you can really insulate yourself from all the kids if you want. This seems harder to do on Dream, especially with the Fast Food / Ice Cream stand being right on the "border" of the adult pool area, pulling the kids in like a magnet.
+ Service. In general, service was very good, especially with the dining room wait staff. Guest Relations tried to help when problems were presented and genuinely seemed to care. There did seem to be a lot of people in training, identifiable by their "Earning My Ears" ribbon their name tag.
So in short, if you like a little cruising with your Disney, then the Dream may be for you. However, if the cruise experience matters, think twice - there are too many other options (better options, IMO) out there for the same price (or less) than the premiums Disney is charging to sail on the Dream.
