DREAMS really do come true! 1/30 4-day Cruise Report with Tons of Photos! Video done!
- Thread starter Timon
- Start date
gretchenohar@hotmail
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2007
- Messages
- 3,261
Spectacular!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thank you for the amazing photos - I particularly appreciate the early morning top deck photos - as that is my favorite time/place on the cruise --
Quiet decks- peaceful ocean - sunrise---spectacular!
Like the ad says---PRICELESS (not really - but cruise is already paid for by then - LOL)
Quiet decks- peaceful ocean - sunrise---spectacular!
Like the ad says---PRICELESS (not really - but cruise is already paid for by then - LOL)
Karen Mouse
resiurK deknoK
- Joined
- May 9, 2006
- Messages
- 11,633
Loving it!!!!
Scouter
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2005
- Messages
- 6,297
..still reading and loving all the details!
Me too... love all the info + pics, but work is getting in the way, I can't keep up.
Me three!:Awesome job as usual Cass!
wave2:Hi tablemates!)
disneycruiser22
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2011
- Messages
- 268
You are a DREAM to a person who loves to read trip reports (like myself) 
Kurby
All the adversity I've had in my life, all my trou
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2007
- Messages
- 10,717
i thought i know the Wonder before we boarded for our first cruise in '09
i'm convinced i know this ship much better just from your tr alone.
when we board the Dream in a year and a half and I get lost I think i may have to turn in my DIS Junkie status
i'm convinced i know this ship much better just from your tr alone.
when we board the Dream in a year and a half and I get lost I think i may have to turn in my DIS Junkie status
iloverags2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2002
- Messages
- 2,405
Great pictures! I cannot wait to hear your thoughts on those areas, especially the adult pool area.
Excellent pics of the top decks Cass. Your TR is over the top on info and pics. Great job.
Few questions if you don't mind:
1. I see the golf clubs/balls are out (i.e. not a CM handing them to you). Is the mini golf open all the time? BTW, loving that they "dummied" it up with the lines for hitting the ball.
2. The opening above the adult pool looks small, does much sun shine on it?
3. Did you ride the AquaDuck?
Few questions if you don't mind:
1. I see the golf clubs/balls are out (i.e. not a CM handing them to you). Is the mini golf open all the time? BTW, loving that they "dummied" it up with the lines for hitting the ball.
2. The opening above the adult pool looks small, does much sun shine on it?
3. Did you ride the AquaDuck?
DizDragonfly
Oooh oooh! Can we take a poll? I love a good poll!
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2008
- Messages
- 6,203
Oh my goodness! How many of those windows were shattered like that? I've seen a least a couple, I think, in your pictures. Wasn't there one shattered like this on one of the concierge verandas? That's awful. They'll end up having to replace all of them if they are breaking like that already.
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
- Messages
- 9,211
Upper Decks Reviews
Quiet Cove Pool and Area
It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but it is quite a bit smaller than the classic ships. It also has several drawbacks that the other ships don't really have.
If you are a sun worshiper and you love being next to the pool, you're pretty much out of luck except for the few loungers they have there. Except for the actual pool, there wasn't a lot of sun to be had near the pool so you would need to go up to deck 12 where they have lots of them.
I also found that the layout of the forward part of the ship was weird...the concierge rooms are forward, with the entrance on deck 11 and 12 (both gated so you need your key) and the ice cream is located just at the entrance to the QC area on port side and all the fast food is located directly next to the QC entrance starboard side. Which means, a LOT more kids were in the QC area at ALL times.
I saw kids there from 6am until midnight! You can see in one of my photos above a family with kids checking out the adult pool...this happened a lot! They definitely didn't do a good job giving the adults a great excluded pool and area. It's hard keeping kids out though because the entrance to the concierge rooms is right there....so if a concierge guest is on deck 11 and wants food, ice cream or pools, they HAVE to go through there or make a very long, out-of-way journey to get there!
It was also weird because you had to go all the way around the pool and bar if you are going to Flo's Cafe!
I spent 3 nights in the hot tub and pool and was practically alone during the first two. I got there are about 10:30 every night and I went from hot tubs to pool over and over. It's one of my favourite parts of a vacation
The pool is small but I was able to do some laps by using the deep end as well as the sitting area. It took me about 8 breast strokes to go from one side to the next which is a little smaller than the Magic Pool but it worked. I loved the blue colour at night, it was so pretty! No one else was in the pool with me the first 2 nights but everyone that passed by me asked me how it was or how cold it was, etc., etc.
There were good and bad things about the hot tubs...let's start with the good
They both had the glass bottoms and it was SOOOOO freaking cool that you could look down and be over the lifeboats and watch the waves go by. Because of the blue lights on the undersides of the ship (LOVE that feature!) you could even see the waves at night!!! Some people didn't even notice this so I had to point it out to them!!
They also had one side that was a glass panel, which was cool too!
You could also watch the big screen TV inside Cove Cafe if you sat in the right spot.
Now the bad....
The jets were pitiful and I kept having to press the white button to keep them going every 10 minutes or so! They really need to be stronger!!
I didn't like that BOTH hot tubs were together because sometimes there's a group of people who are unusually loud and for me, relaxing in the hot tub is a destresser and I want to just close my eyes and soak in the warm water....it's hard to relax when you have rowdy guests right next to you. Now, I'm not saying there shouldn't be loud guests...I don't mind, it's their vacation too but on the other ships, I could skip the rowdy guests and go to the other one that is on the other side so it wasn't right there in my face but on the Dream, there is no escaping it unless you leave the area completely.
Also, you could see the verandahs of the first few deck 11 concierge port rooms (you can see a guest on his verandah in one of my shots
) when you were near the hot tubs so there was NO privacy and I would NEVER book those rooms!!!
The Cove Cafe was nice but seemed way smaller than the older ships! I have some pics which I will post in the next part.
From the adult pool area, you could take the stair case and go up to deck 12 and then there was another staircase to get up to deck 13. This was odd because on the port side, there was a "Family Zone" whatever that means and then on the other side of Currents Bar was the smoking area and the 18 or over area. But the only way up to the Family Zone was to go through the adult-only area
For smokers, that area up on deck 13 Forward was awesome! Great seats, great views...if I was still a smoker, that is where I would be!
There's tons of great deck space forward from that area, great place to hang out and watch the ocean go by! Great little seating area at the front too! They also did a great job keeping the wind off the deck
Donald Pool/Mickey Pool/Nemo's Reef
Unlike the family pool on the Magic, I actually made it onto the Donald Pool on this cruise
On CC day, we came back to the ship early to ride the Aquaduck and then we spent some time in the Donald Pool. It was fabulous for me because it wasn't crowded (2 or 3 other people in the pool) and the funnel blocked the sun so I was totally in the shade (the reason I don't go in pools during the day, I NEED shade!) and they were playing Cars on the big screen. I swam the length of the pool and it was the same as the QC pool, 8 breast strokes to get to the other side.
However, I can see the Donald pool filling up quickly and being too crowded on sea days!
The Mickey Pool was awesome, a step up from the other ships and a great addition was being able to see the big screen while you watched your little ones
The Nemo's Reef looked awesome!!!!!!! I loved loved loved that it was all closed off and in the shade! Two important things to parents of little ones! The water spouts looked awesome and I am excited for Kira to try it out on our next cruise! I did hear that it was a little slippery but I didn't see many kids in there so I couldn't really tell.
The Mickey Slide was an improvement too, the stairs are right next to the exit, which, as a parent, is WAY better placement I saw LOTS of kids enjoying this slide and they were all giggling!!!
We had pretty good weather for a January cruise and the pools were all hopping during our at sea day so I can imagine a full ship in the summer will make for VERY crowded pools!!!
Aquaduck
OK, finally what everyone wants to know....the AD was....
AWESOME....make that totally doubly awesome!!!
It seemed about a 10-15 minute wait almost every time I went by so I knew I didn't want to wait that long so the plan was to get back on board as soon as it opened on Castaway Cay day (12:30pm) I got there about 12:40 and I was able to ride it TEN times in a row!! Yup! Ten times!!!!
I would have done more but I was really hungry so I needed to go shower and get food in my belly!! 
There are 70 steps to the top so if you are out of shape, you probably won't do it more than once or twice!! I was thanking my lucky stars that I exercise every day because that really helped me make it up 700 stairs in less than 20 minutes!! There was never more than 1 or 2 people ahead of me so it was perfect!! I did it alone at first and then rode it with Michelle to see what it was like with two people.
The first time was just awesome! I know some people are giving it bad reviews because they expected it to be wicked fast and it's just not. The first half is more like a water coaster with two up shots (propelling you up a ramp with water jets) and then the second part is more of a (somewhat faster) lazy river ride.
I, personally loved every part of it and I am a THRILL JUNKIE!! The best part was the two upshots, especially the first one where you get a little bit of air time but I loved all of it! I'm glad I saved it for CC day because I had the best views ever!!! Looking around at the beautiful island was part of the appeal for me!
It was hard to soak it all in during one ride so I knew I was going to do it again....this time with Michelle. It was a little faster with 2 people but just as enjoyable. Just so you know, the person in the back has to put their legs kind of in the lower lap of the person riding in the front, so you definitely wouldn't want to ride with a stranger
We did it once with me in the back and then another time with Michelle in the back. Then I I did it 7 more times in a row!
Here's a little tip...just after you get to the top of those two upshots, you get a HUGE splash of water at your back, if you sit up a bit as you get to the top, the water won't get in your face!
I LOVED the first part where you go over the side of the ship, it was fun to look down!
The last part of it is in a tunnel and is VERY cool at night! Yes, that's right, I rode it at night too!
That night, after the Pirate Party, was the only time it was open past 8 or 8:30 so I took advantage of that! It closed at midnight so at 11pm I headed up to ride it several more times. It was quite a bit busier, about 5-6 minute wait each time and I was only able to do it twice more before they told us they would have to reset the whole ride which would take at least 10 minutes and I wanted to hit the hot tubs before they closed so I left.
It is a totally different experience riding at night! There are lights at all the joints and the tunnel at the end is completely dark!!!
I highly recommend doing it in both day and night but do it first during the day
I would say that kids 6-12 will LOVE this ride as well as big kids who like a little thrill. Just don't expect huge speeds or catching some G's and you will love it!
All the pools were freshwater and were a great temperature!
Goofy Sports Deck
The mini-golf was very cute! It was open 24 hours so you could just help yourself to a putter and a ball and go anytime you wanted! It took us about 10 minutes with no one in front of us to get through it all. I never saw any crowds here, probably because it was always open.
The basketball court looked fun but quite a bit smaller than on the other ships.
What else?
The family hot tubs always seemed crowded as did the family pool area.
I forgot to put these photos in the last post....I took them the day we got on the ship...
Gives you an idea of how busy this area was....
One final note....the midship elevator area on deck 11 is totally RETARTED!!
It has the MOST crowds and they only have these teeny tiny doors to get to the outside deck and they don't open automagically like the other doors and they are very heavy!!
Speaking of doors though...almost all of them are automatic...especially the ones out to deck 4 promenade which I loved because on the Magic, I sometimes couldn't open those doors because they broke down a lot!
OK, that's all I can think of right now....if you have any questions, just post them and I will try to answer them the best I can!
Quiet Cove Pool and Area
It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but it is quite a bit smaller than the classic ships. It also has several drawbacks that the other ships don't really have.
If you are a sun worshiper and you love being next to the pool, you're pretty much out of luck except for the few loungers they have there. Except for the actual pool, there wasn't a lot of sun to be had near the pool so you would need to go up to deck 12 where they have lots of them.
I also found that the layout of the forward part of the ship was weird...the concierge rooms are forward, with the entrance on deck 11 and 12 (both gated so you need your key) and the ice cream is located just at the entrance to the QC area on port side and all the fast food is located directly next to the QC entrance starboard side. Which means, a LOT more kids were in the QC area at ALL times.
I saw kids there from 6am until midnight! You can see in one of my photos above a family with kids checking out the adult pool...this happened a lot! They definitely didn't do a good job giving the adults a great excluded pool and area. It's hard keeping kids out though because the entrance to the concierge rooms is right there....so if a concierge guest is on deck 11 and wants food, ice cream or pools, they HAVE to go through there or make a very long, out-of-way journey to get there!
It was also weird because you had to go all the way around the pool and bar if you are going to Flo's Cafe!
I spent 3 nights in the hot tub and pool and was practically alone during the first two. I got there are about 10:30 every night and I went from hot tubs to pool over and over. It's one of my favourite parts of a vacation
The pool is small but I was able to do some laps by using the deep end as well as the sitting area. It took me about 8 breast strokes to go from one side to the next which is a little smaller than the Magic Pool but it worked. I loved the blue colour at night, it was so pretty! No one else was in the pool with me the first 2 nights but everyone that passed by me asked me how it was or how cold it was, etc., etc.
There were good and bad things about the hot tubs...let's start with the good
They both had the glass bottoms and it was SOOOOO freaking cool that you could look down and be over the lifeboats and watch the waves go by. Because of the blue lights on the undersides of the ship (LOVE that feature!) you could even see the waves at night!!! Some people didn't even notice this so I had to point it out to them!!
They also had one side that was a glass panel, which was cool too!
You could also watch the big screen TV inside Cove Cafe if you sat in the right spot.
Now the bad....
The jets were pitiful and I kept having to press the white button to keep them going every 10 minutes or so! They really need to be stronger!!
I didn't like that BOTH hot tubs were together because sometimes there's a group of people who are unusually loud and for me, relaxing in the hot tub is a destresser and I want to just close my eyes and soak in the warm water....it's hard to relax when you have rowdy guests right next to you. Now, I'm not saying there shouldn't be loud guests...I don't mind, it's their vacation too but on the other ships, I could skip the rowdy guests and go to the other one that is on the other side so it wasn't right there in my face but on the Dream, there is no escaping it unless you leave the area completely.
Also, you could see the verandahs of the first few deck 11 concierge port rooms (you can see a guest on his verandah in one of my shots
) when you were near the hot tubs so there was NO privacy and I would NEVER book those rooms!!!The Cove Cafe was nice but seemed way smaller than the older ships! I have some pics which I will post in the next part.
From the adult pool area, you could take the stair case and go up to deck 12 and then there was another staircase to get up to deck 13. This was odd because on the port side, there was a "Family Zone" whatever that means and then on the other side of Currents Bar was the smoking area and the 18 or over area. But the only way up to the Family Zone was to go through the adult-only area
For smokers, that area up on deck 13 Forward was awesome! Great seats, great views...if I was still a smoker, that is where I would be!
There's tons of great deck space forward from that area, great place to hang out and watch the ocean go by! Great little seating area at the front too! They also did a great job keeping the wind off the deck
Donald Pool/Mickey Pool/Nemo's Reef
Unlike the family pool on the Magic, I actually made it onto the Donald Pool on this cruise
On CC day, we came back to the ship early to ride the Aquaduck and then we spent some time in the Donald Pool. It was fabulous for me because it wasn't crowded (2 or 3 other people in the pool) and the funnel blocked the sun so I was totally in the shade (the reason I don't go in pools during the day, I NEED shade!) and they were playing Cars on the big screen. I swam the length of the pool and it was the same as the QC pool, 8 breast strokes to get to the other side. However, I can see the Donald pool filling up quickly and being too crowded on sea days!
The Mickey Pool was awesome, a step up from the other ships and a great addition was being able to see the big screen while you watched your little ones
The Nemo's Reef looked awesome!!!!!!! I loved loved loved that it was all closed off and in the shade! Two important things to parents of little ones! The water spouts looked awesome and I am excited for Kira to try it out on our next cruise! I did hear that it was a little slippery but I didn't see many kids in there so I couldn't really tell.
The Mickey Slide was an improvement too, the stairs are right next to the exit, which, as a parent, is WAY better placement
I saw LOTS of kids enjoying this slide and they were all giggling!!! We had pretty good weather for a January cruise and the pools were all hopping during our at sea day so I can imagine a full ship in the summer will make for VERY crowded pools!!!
Aquaduck
OK, finally what everyone wants to know....the AD was....
AWESOME....make that totally doubly awesome!!!
It seemed about a 10-15 minute wait almost every time I went by so I knew I didn't want to wait that long so the plan was to get back on board as soon as it opened on Castaway Cay day (12:30pm) I got there about 12:40 and I was able to ride it TEN times in a row!! Yup! Ten times!!!!
I would have done more but I was really hungry so I needed to go shower and get food in my belly!! There are 70 steps to the top so if you are out of shape, you probably won't do it more than once or twice!! I was thanking my lucky stars that I exercise every day because that really helped me make it up 700 stairs in less than 20 minutes!!
There was never more than 1 or 2 people ahead of me so it was perfect!! I did it alone at first and then rode it with Michelle to see what it was like with two people. The first time was just awesome! I know some people are giving it bad reviews because they expected it to be wicked fast and it's just not. The first half is more like a water coaster with two up shots (propelling you up a ramp with water jets) and then the second part is more of a (somewhat faster) lazy river ride.
I, personally loved every part of it and I am a THRILL JUNKIE!! The best part was the two upshots, especially the first one where you get a little bit of air time
but I loved all of it! I'm glad I saved it for CC day because I had the best views ever!!! Looking around at the beautiful island was part of the appeal for me! It was hard to soak it all in during one ride so I knew I was going to do it again....this time with Michelle. It was a little faster with 2 people but just as enjoyable. Just so you know, the person in the back has to put their legs kind of in the lower lap of the person riding in the front, so you definitely wouldn't want to ride with a stranger
We did it once with me in the back and then another time with Michelle in the back. Then I I did it 7 more times in a row!
Here's a little tip...just after you get to the top of those two upshots, you get a HUGE splash of water at your back, if you sit up a bit as you get to the top, the water won't get in your face!
I LOVED the first part where you go over the side of the ship, it was fun to look down!
The last part of it is in a tunnel and is VERY cool at night! Yes, that's right, I rode it at night too!
That night, after the Pirate Party, was the only time it was open past 8 or 8:30 so I took advantage of that! It closed at midnight so at 11pm I headed up to ride it several more times. It was quite a bit busier, about 5-6 minute wait each time and I was only able to do it twice more before they told us they would have to reset the whole ride which would take at least 10 minutes and I wanted to hit the hot tubs before they closed so I left.
It is a totally different experience riding at night! There are lights at all the joints and the tunnel at the end is completely dark!!!
I highly recommend doing it in both day and night but do it first during the day
I would say that kids 6-12 will LOVE this ride as well as big kids who like a little thrill. Just don't expect huge speeds or catching some G's and you will love it!
All the pools were freshwater and were a great temperature!
Goofy Sports Deck
The mini-golf was very cute! It was open 24 hours so you could just help yourself to a putter and a ball and go anytime you wanted! It took us about 10 minutes with no one in front of us to get through it all. I never saw any crowds here, probably because it was always open.
The basketball court looked fun but quite a bit smaller than on the other ships.
What else?
The family hot tubs always seemed crowded as did the family pool area.
I forgot to put these photos in the last post....I took them the day we got on the ship...
Gives you an idea of how busy this area was....
One final note....the midship elevator area on deck 11 is totally RETARTED!!
It has the MOST crowds and they only have these teeny tiny doors to get to the outside deck and they don't open automagically like the other doors and they are very heavy!!
Speaking of doors though...almost all of them are automatic...especially the ones out to deck 4 promenade which I loved because on the Magic, I sometimes couldn't open those doors because they broke down a lot!
OK, that's all I can think of right now....if you have any questions, just post them and I will try to answer them the best I can!
-
New Aurora Accessory Styles From Loungefly on the Way!
-
How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk Tour at Epic Universe
-
EPCOT's New Adult-Only Lounge Menu&Opening Date Revealed
-
More New Bites Coming Soon to the Disneyland Resort!
-
Which Disney World Rides are CLOSED in May?
-
The Burning Blade Tavern Inside Dark Universe in Epic Universe
-
This Week's Disney Cruise Line Discounts
- Walt Disney World News
- Walt Disney World Articles
- Disney Cruise Line News
- Disneyland News
- General Disney News
GET UP TO A $1000 SHIPBOARD CREDIT AND AN EXCLUSIVE GIFT!
If you make your Disney Cruise Line reservation with Dreams Unlimited Travel you’ll receive these incredible shipboard credits to spend on your cruise!
Save Up to 30% on Rooms at Walt Disney World!
Save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels when you stay 5 consecutive nights or longer in late summer and early fall. Plus, enjoy other savings for shorter stays.This offer is valid for stays most nights from August 1 to October 11, 2025.
CLICK HERE
