Dream 6/17/11 - 6/21/11 Trip Report - Lots of PICS

[amk922]

We just got home this weekend from our vacation. The first half of the vacation was our Disney 4-day cruise on the Dream. We were first time Disney cruisers (me, my husband and step daughter (7)), with my parents, and my brother and his wife and 5-year-old girl.

I have been scanning the DIS forums for a few months before our cruise and I wanted to give back to all the people that gave so much valuable information to me and my family before our cruise. I took many pictures with the intention of sharing on the DIS boards. A lot of trip reports have shown the highlights of the Dream, so I focused on some aspects that have not been as widely highlighted.

First, our trip to Orlando from Kentucky was a disaster. Thankfully, we booked our flight the day before the cruise took off, so we could make the boat no matter what. Our flight from Lexington to Charlotte NC was fine. Our flight from Charlotte to Orlando was CANCELLED!!! We originally were supposed to be in Orlando by 2:30 pm, but our flight our of Charlotte did not leave until 11:45 pm.

Waiting 12 hours at the Charlotte airport:

Arriving in Orlando about 1:30 AM. We finally got to bed in our hotel at the Radisson in Cape Canaveral at 3:00 am:

FYI: Rule 240 of passenger rights laws dictates that passengers on flights delayed over 4.5-5 hours are owed meal vouchers worth $10 per passenger. They are not offered unless requested. We asked for them in Charlotte, no questions asked. However, the rep we talked to said that this rule will soon be inactivated. I'm not sure when.

 

[mousetravel]

Subbing! How neat, we were on the Dream 6/12/11 - 6/17/11!!

 

[brandip22]

also subbing! I'm trying to go on the Dream next June!

 

[FirstTimeDC]

Waiting for more.......

 

[amk922]

Sorry about the delay. I've had to catch up on a lot since getting home from vacation. We didn't get nearly enough hours of sleep after the travel SNAFU the day before, but we were up and ready to cruise the next morning. I had planned on giving my step-daughter and niece goody bags of stuff at the hotel the afternoon of our arrival, but that didn't happen since we got there so late. I had thermal tote bags, Goldfish, Skittles, Mini Oreos, Princess theme pens/pencils/markers/tattoos, and Monogram notepads/journals/thermal mugs:

Here is my step daughter enjoying her new stuff at the hotel:

At Noon, it was on the shuttle and to the boat! The Sheraton has a parking lot for people who stay at the hotel and need to leave their car. They provide a shuttle to and from the port. We were reserved for the Noon shuttle but it was full when we arrived, so we got the next one about 10 minutes later.

Once off the shuttle, we were greeted by a baggage handler who gave us instructions about carry-ons and bags to be checked on board. These people are employed separate from Disney and expect a tip, which they are not so blunt about. He was very nice and pleasant otherwise. The first check point to get into the terminal is to make sure you have an ID and are booked on the cruise. Next, you head into the terminal and they ask one person from each stateroom to fill out a form regarding any health issues in the last 48 hours. You take that with you to the formal check-in desk. When in line for the check-in desk, they give everyone their boarding number and a map of the boat. We got number 24. This seemed to be a first-come, first serve thing. Had nothing to do with our scheduled arrival time or when we booked the cruise. They had a stack of cards and just handed them out in order.

At check in, they checked our reservation and took our health questionnaire and check-in form we printed out when we did our online check-in. They make sure your reservation matches your passport. My sister-in-law had a moment of trouble because even though she had the marriage certificate attached with her passport and had traveled out of country with that, there was an issue with that not matching the reservation, so the lady checking them in just changed her reservation name to match the passport. They have you sign the form from your online check-in to approve charges to your credit card, take your picture, and issue your Key To The World cards.

After that, you can just hang out until your number is called, or do the Kids Club check-in. They were only calling number 15 at that point so we went to check the kids in. This line was pretty long but moved steadily. We had time. They have forms there for people to fill out if you have not dine the online registration. Otherwise you just get in line. Both my step-daughter and niece were NOT happy about the ID bracelets, but we just tried to convince them they would get used to it like a watch, and they did. I have read on other boards that some kids get them on their ankles. I asked about this and the lady helping us said she could do that, but it would make it difficult since she would have to lift her leg up really high to check in and out at the club.

Here are some pictures from the Terminal.

Concierge Check-in:

From an observation deck:

 

[amk922]

Documents from the Terminal / Check-in:

Boarding Number Card:

Ship Map (sorry, the whole sheet wouldn't fit on my scanner):

Entertainment Venues:

 

[damren]

subbing

 

[amk922]

They called our boarding number around 1:45. So our total time from leaving the hotel to getting on the boat was about an hour and a half. They take a picture of every family as they board. My brother surprised us all after the trip with a print of our family pic. My grumpy niece makes this priceless:

Upon entering the boat, they ask for your family name and announce you as you enter the atrium. We were greeted by a cast member who had close ties to Kentucky. She was thrilled to greet us. She let us know our rooms were already ready so would drop our stuff off there before lunch. Cabana's was open for another 45 minutes. At this point we were all fairly tired and hungry from such a long journey the last 24 hours. We took the elevator up from level 3 to level 7. There were people waiting in the stair well for the door to open from the cabin hallways. We just tried the door and it opened for us. They said it had been locked when they tried it.

We had three rooms all next to each other - 7058, 7056, and 7054. They were more toward the front than the back, but fairly mid-ship. They were in-between the front and mid-ship elevators.

My dad looking over his verandah:

We later had the dividers removed (folded back) so we could move easily back and forth between our rooms.

Day 1 Navigator:

 

[FirstTimeDC]

Just curious...did you do any of the "family" game shows? How did the girls like them? Not sure if they are for older kids or little ones. I have a four and a half year old - not sure she'll like them or understand how to play, etc.

 

[amk922]

We didn't do any of the game shows or anything in D Lounge. The girls wanted to be at the pools almost the entire trip so we did lots of that, eating, and the evening shows. I didn't want to make this a trip where we had to stay on any kind of schedule, so we just did whatever the girls wanted to do when they wanted.

 

[amk922]

This pamphlet was in our stateroom with information on wireless internet and using mobile phones/cell phones at sea. There are customer service numbers for major cell phone carriers: AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, etc. You should call your carrier for call and texting rates. We went unplugged the entire cruise, so I cannot give any first hand experience using phones or internet on board.

 

[sahbushka]

subscribing

 

[FortWildernessLoopy]

subbing

 

[Disneytwinsmom]

Very helpful! Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[jenifred]

These photos are the BEST!!! I love the funny photos way better than the "normal" ones. In 10 years, everyone will still be laughing!

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[MrsMas]

Glad to see everything you posted. Glad you have fun on your cruise. I do have a question since I noticed you or your travel companions had room 7054. That is the room I will be in on my cruise. Does it have the pull down bed? It is a good size for 4 people?

 

[iloverags2]

Wow...what a nightmare with your flight! But other than that, your first morning and afternoon seem to be going well! Love the boarding photo!

 

[blueladybug]

Great TR. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[twindaddy]

Why is that little girl frowning? The funky pictures are always the best to look back and laugh at!

 

[DisneyPoly]

Although we've been on 9 Disney Cruises, we have yet to sail on the Dream ... your report is very thorough and entertaining ... can't wait to read more.