Dream a Little Dream With Me - 4/3 Final two posts!!!! Hope to see you real soon!

[my2disneyboys]

Ok so now knowing what you know- Do you think when we go with our kids we will get a chance on a 3 day cruise to use the rainforest room for a couple hours? I was thinking maybe on the day we go to the Bahamas, because the kids are planning on spending some time in the kids club so we may be able to sneak an hour or so!! Would it be worth it? Also, do you know if you can buy the day pass before your cruise?

I am loving your report!! I cant wait to hear about the one with the boys!! I will get lots of tips from you

 

[Fab5Family]

SADLY, what is missing is the Flying Dutchman, from The Pirates of the Carribean... Apparently it had been in dock as a display all this time... but they moved it for the new movie, and so there is a big empty spot!!! I do hope it comes back. It really made a great sight in the lagoon!

Actually, they didn't move the Flying Dutchman, they dismantled it. (It was literally falling apart.) I'm glad we were able to see it on our last cruise -- and I know the spot will look very empty to us this summer when we are there.

Thanks for the great report! We will now be on a mission to be sure we find the Outlook bar. I would imagine the view is fantastic.

 

[eandesmom]

Great update!!!!!!!!! That rain room sounds fabulous, although I admit I have a hard time picturing Jeff being able to relax in it for 2 hours, though it would do him a world of good.

That is a steep price for the cabanas, I know what you mean about not liking the whole idea of it but I get it as well. Sometimes though it seems many places have the proportions out of whack, too many cabanas and beach (or pool) dedicated for the few that actually use them at the expense of crowding other areas.

 

[jenseib]

Actually, they didn't move the Flying Dutchman, they dismantled it. (It was literally falling apart.) I'm glad we were able to see it on our last cruise -- and I know the spot will look very empty to us this summer when we are there.

Thanks for the great report! We will now be on a mission to be sure we find the Outlook bar. I would imagine the view is fantastic.

I was going to say the same thing. It was sad looking at pictures of it being dismantled. I am very sad I never got a chance to see it.

 

[Happydog]

Actually, they didn't move the Flying Dutchman, they dismantled it. (It was literally falling apart.) I'm glad we were able to see it on our last cruise -- and I know the spot will look very empty to us this summer when we are there.

Thanks for the great report! We will now be on a mission to be sure we find the Outlook bar. I would imagine the view is fantastic.

I was going to say the same thing. It was sad looking at pictures of it being dismantled. I am very sad I never got a chance to see it.

Oh! Is that what it was??!! Somehow I had read that it was being used for the movie! It did look pretty "tattered" when we saw it last Feb, but I just thought that was the way it was supposed to look!!! At anyrate, it did make the lagoon look neat, hope they do something like that again...

 

[Happydog]

Ok so now knowing what you know- Do you think when we go with our kids we will get a chance on a 3 day cruise to use the rainforest room for a couple hours? I was thinking maybe on the day we go to the Bahamas, because the kids are planning on spending some time in the kids club so we may be able to sneak an hour or so!! Would it be worth it? Also, do you know if you can buy the day pass before your cruise?

I am loving your report!! I cant wait to hear about the one with the boys!! I will get lots of tips from you

Oh I bet you can get them occupied enough for you to slip away! It is really nice... If you like that sort of thing, it is easy to get comfortable! I didn't think the boat was too crowded on the Nassau day, people definitely left the boat. The pass you can preorder from the website, you have to call for them. but it isn't a hassle to get the passes at the spa.

Great update!!!!!!!!! That rain room sounds fabulous, although I admit I have a hard time picturing Jeff being able to relax in it for 2 hours, though it would do him a world of good.

That is a steep price for the cabanas, I know what you mean about not liking the whole idea of it but I get it as well. Sometimes though it seems many places have the proportions out of whack, too many cabanas and beach (or pool) dedicated for the few that actually use them at the expense of crowding other areas.

Well, okay, maybe it wasn't two hours to the nose, but we were definitely there for over an hour and a bit!!! Well you should try it for sure!!!! I don't know what the rain room on the Wonder is like, but I have heard great things!

Yeah, I am not sure what to make of it... Like I don't know that an "exclusive" beach is really necessary... I say that if only because all of the cabanas have lounges outside, and I know if we were in one, we would have to be on the side of the beach closer to the pelican plunge, etc. for the kids... so I wouldn't want to be so far away... I wonder if they end up changing it at some point. It will be interesting to see. Regardless, I think they are nicely set up, and look nice inside!

 

[cvrapclark]

Caught up!!!

 

[Happydog]

SO this was our final day on the ship. It was our “Day at Sea”! It was a jam packed day with lots of fun, so it will take a few posts to get through. I took lots of photos, so I hope you enjoy checking it all out!

I readily noticed that people were already setting up shop on the decks. Knowing this is where we would be spending our day, I wanted good seats, so I had come armed with our magazines and towel bag, to find a spot. As I left the gym, I grabbed a few seats, and we ended up on the end of a row, close to the edge of the deck. In hindsight I should have put us back a little farther, because there was a lot of traffic back and forth in front of us. Next time I would set up seats on the opposite side, because there is one set of stairs from the adult sun deck area up and down to the pool deck below, and so there was less traffic on the other side… just for those of you taking notes about these sort of things!

On this day, the shops opened early, so I was able to head down to deck 3 and nose around for my souveniers! I think I went to the shops before brunch... these photos tell me that I stopped to get my latte as well, Why ELSE would I get a photo of the coffee bar… and a few around the mid ship area because it was pretty quiet… but honestly I will admit my sense of timing is a little foggy.

I will share the photos of my purchases at the end, but here are a few pics that I took along the way, and a few of the infamous “inaugural cruise” D&B! Don’t shout at me, but I prefer the original cruise pattern! I just think it looks more nautical! BUT the new pattern is pretty, and I like the bigger bags. As you can see they were not sold out, even by the final day. I bought a wristlet. I know, I know, I caved. But I got it in the original pattern, NOT the new one. One primary reason was because the wristlet on this new pattern was only a “zip” closure, vs. a flap over the top. And they were the same price. I also liked the colors better… But the new pattern is cute.

So down on that deck I just took a few more random shots, and then headed up to brunch…

I met up with DH outside the restaurant, and we enjoyed a fabulous and leisurely time there at Palo's. Now I didn’t bring my camera to Palo’s but I know there are plenty of pictures and info about the brunch. It is SO worth going to if you can!!! Very enjoyable! We ended up chatting with a few of the servers, we had a new server that afternoon, and had some very animated conversation with the servers as well as the restaurant manager about our spring break travels to the Mediterranean next month. We are going on a trip which included some travel on a cruise ship, and they even gave us some names of the crew there on that cruise line to look for! It was funny. Since they were from Croatia and from Serbia, they were having a very animated dialogue about who has more “beach” or coast line, and the manager, who is Italian, was interested in hearing about our travels as well (since we are going to a few spots in Italy) as well as wanting to tell us about his travels this spring in the US. It was a really fun conversation. They gave us some travel tips, and the manager offered us a second round of Mimosas, which was really nice because officially brunch only comes with one complimentary glass – we had a lovely mid-morning with them. Again, the dining room was not filled with guests, though it was more crowded than either night we had been. Now through this the ship clearly hit a little rain (we saw it through the window) and that had us worried about our books outside… but at that point, it was too late to worry, and it appeared the rain had been light.

So we left Palos and walked back to the room to get ourselves up on deck! When we got up there, someone had thrown a towel over our books. I thought that was really nice. It was surprisingly not very crowded when we got there.. I don't know if the rain had put people inside, or, everyone was busy doing whatever they wanted to... I have to say I don't remember the ship ever feeling crowded on this day, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Here are some deck photos from that day...

These should give you a sense of what it was like, but also you can see the rain was not a problem that day -- I think the ship moved further out to get us into the sun!

Our two lounge chairs are the two closest to the stairs going down to the pool deck. And on that deck there is another set going up to the next level, deck 12 I guess it is, I can't remember the # which is a family area (those photos I shared earlier in the TR) and the Bar... so there was a lot of traffic in that area by virtue of the stairs. It wan't a big deal, but kids were going through the adult area to get up there, and some were on a scavenger hunt or something, so it got a little noisy a few times, but whatever, it was a day at sea, and everyone was having a good time!

Hopefully these give you a sense of the crowd levels on a day at sea… I didn’t find it intolerable, but we were not in the family areas.... so I am wondering what that was like and will be checkin for TRs that might say more about that so I can have a strategy! And, as I said, next cruise I spend time in the adult area I won’t select lounges on the side of the ship where the steps are… Still, as I was worried earlier, I really shouldn't have been. There was space for everyone. I also had to share this restroom shot with you! Gotta love the Mickey mirrors… and again, so pretty, down to the last tile!

CONTINUED IN THE NEXT POST!!!!

 

[Happydog]

At some point I ended up back in the midship area, I really can't remember the time line on this final day... must have been the mimosas and the drink of the day we were sampling... Regardless I was taking a few more photos and then noticed that there were mass crowds starting to form. I realized that I was about to see the Princess photo op… more like the princess line up! As you can see from these shots… TOOOOO cute. So much excitement. I happened to be on the deck looking at Shutters, when they came out, So it was fun to be in a position to watch…

Pulling myself away from the royalty, I was captivated by some of the art, and sure enough, I found this painting in “action” which was neat! This is a painting that just moved on its own (not as part of the ship deck mystery game I shared with you earlier) And so I heard Alice talking about the rabbit hole, and then…

DOWN she went! Six pictures later, she landed. And the painting stopped moving. And you wouldn’t know otherwise! Now all these “interactive/animated” art locations are easy to spy. They have a different color frame inset… silver I think it is.


Hidden Mickey's everywhere, but here was an easy one to spy!

And speaking of art work, here are just a few more examples of the neat artwork ALL over the ship, especially on the stairwell landings!

THIS is my favorite! Okay, well ONE of my favorites... I swear DCL should sell some of these as prints. They have others, in the art gallery, cruise ones, but there is some FABULOUS disney memorabilia art everywhere on this ship and I can't wait to explore that more in June!!!!

More coming up later this week! NEXT UP… after a nice afternoon, I make it down to pack and I spend more time watching the porthole! Wait till ya see the photos!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Sounds like a lovely day so far!

I wasn't able to book a brunch so I hope I can get a ressie once on board, keep your fingers crossed for me!

The enchanted art sounds so cool

 

[Happydog]

Caught up!!!

Glad you are reading along! Hope you are enjoying it.

Sounds like a lovely day so far!

I wasn't able to book a brunch so I hope I can get a ressie once on board, keep your fingers crossed for me!

The enchanted art sounds so cool

Oh yes a full day but lots of fun!

OH I am sure you will be able to. We were, and there wasn't reservations for it available when I checked on our cruise either... in fact I just booked our dining reservations for Remy and Palos and same thing, no brunch or tea reservations available, so I am going to rely on my previous experience and guess I'll be able to get one on embarkation day!!

The art was really neat! I can't WAIT to check it out fully, either!

 

[LuvEeyore]

Loving the trip report!! Waiting for more

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Wow, the ship is so beautiful. I can't wait for next year.

Love the interactive artwork!

The princess photo op looked like so much fun!

 

[lackeyb]

Absolutely gorgeous! My DH and I are taking our DD4 and DN6(niece) and my sister on the Dream in May. We are so excited and I can't wait to show them your TR.

Good info on lots of folks breaking the rules regarding saving spots. With the girls we will be early pool folks anyway so hopefully I won't have to break the rules either

Now if I can only get DD4 to grow 2 inchs to get on the Aquaduck!!!!

Thanks again for an awesome report. This board is great and everyone is so nice!

Becky

 

[jenjolt]

What a great beginning to your last day!! DCL just looks amazing!!! I'm glad you had such a great breakfast at Palo's!! Sounds absolutely delightful!!!! SO YUMMY!!!!!

 

[scrappinmom]

Loving every second of your report!! Can't wait for November!!!!

 

[Happydog]

Loving the trip report!! Waiting for more

Thanks! More this weekend! I expect to wrap it up!

Wow, the ship is so beautiful. I can't wait for next year.

Love the interactive artwork!

The princess photo op looked like so much fun!

It is really elegant. So big! I think it is beautiful. DH says he actually likes the Wonder better.... either way, IMO, the Disney cruise ships are really beautiful and so well designed, detail upon detail!

The Princess gathering was a sight to see!

Absolutely gorgeous! My DH and I are taking our DD4 and DN6(niece) and my sister on the Dream in May. We are so excited and I can't wait to show them your TR.

Good info on lots of folks breaking the rules regarding saving spots. With the girls we will be early pool folks anyway so hopefully I won't have to break the rules either

Now if I can only get DD4 to grow 2 inchs to get on the Aquaduck!!!!

Thanks again for an awesome report. This board is great and everyone is so nice!

Becky

Hi! Welcome! Thanks for coming by! It is a beautiful boat, and I hope my pics and such are helpful!! I like having the visuals... There are several TRs with oodles of photos! Much better than mine!!!

Oh I will be up early too, I understand why they don't want people to do it, but it happens by virtue of people wanting to make sure they have a spot, you know? If you set up a chair or two for yourself, you are just ensuring you have a place to be. I don't know how those rules really are practical anyhow, but I think it is safe to say that everyone who has ever been to a pool "gets it"!!!

Enjoy your family cruise!

 

[Happydog]

What a great beginning to your last day!! DCL just looks amazing!!! I'm glad you had such a great breakfast at Palo's!! Sounds absolutely delightful!!!! SO YUMMY!!!!!

Brunch was FABULOUS!!! If you like seafood or lox, anything like that, you would be in heaven!!! As well as these amazing sticky buns, OMgoodness!!!
And a great fritatta, wonderful, actually reasonably healthy selections... well, except for the sticky buns and dessert table...

Loving every second of your report!! Can't wait for November!!!!

Oh you will have a fabulous time!!!!

 

[Doodledogs]

Thanks very much for sharing your trip with us! We are looking forward to our first cruise on the Dream in June!

 

[Happydog]

Thanks very much for sharing your trip with us! We are looking forward to our first cruise on the Dream in June!

Oh sure! I like writing TRs, and hope others enjoy reading them

It has been great fun!