- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
- Messages
- 9,211
Just got back from a fantastic trip on the January 30th Disney Dream 4-day cruise.
This report is going to be a little different from my past trip reports...instead of doing a chronological, day-to-day report, I will be writing it in parts, offering my experiences/views along with lots of photos of each topic.
I will eventually be making a video from the 3.5 hours of footage that I took in the 4 days. But that will take some time to get done.
For now, while I upload my 2000+ photos to Photobucket (it takes forever!!!
) I will start by giving a general overview of my experience.
PLEASE NOTE: I will be reporting on MY experiences and mine only. Everybody on a cruise has a unique and totally different experience not only because of what they did on the cruise but also because of their likes and dislikes. I overheard people saying how much they loved things that I really didn't care for at all and vice versa so please just take this into consideration when you are reading my opinions.
General Thoughts and Observations
I must confess, I followed every single tidbit of information that came out while the Dream was being built. I watched the Meyer Werft webcam often and was very excited as this glorious ship came to life. Even though I never thought I would get to actually set foot on her, I couldn't get enough!
So obviously I JUMPED at the last-minute chance to see her in person!
Because I read about her for two years, I knew her intimately before even stepping onboard but nothing can prepare you for her beauty when you first lay your own eyes on her.
No longer was the Disney ship dwarfed by the other ships in Port Canaveral. She commanded your attention as soon as you caught a glimpse of her and she didn't disappoint. The first thing you notice is how much bigger she is than her predecessors. While she looks similar to the classics from the side, when you see her from the back, you can really tell that she has a personality all her own, from her widespread "hips" to Sorcerer Mickey and his brooms hanging down.
Then you look up and see that unique and awe inspiring thing they call the Aquaduck!
You just can't compare her with anything else, she's all alone in her design, innovativeness and sheer beauty!
Even though I have taken 4 cruises on the Magic and have studied the new deck plan for weeks, it still took me a full day to really know my way around this new ship. She has similarities to the classics (Atrium in the midship area, promenade deck is on 4 and Shops are on deck 3) but also features many changes from the Magic & Wonder (adult clubs are now located in the aft section, Balcony of WD Theatre is on deck 4, pools are on deck 11) and I often got them mixed up.
By Monday afternoon though, I had no problems finding my way. I'm pretty good with maps, navigating and directions so it might take an extra day for most people to be comfortable.
I didn't think it was possible but Disney outdid themselves with the decor, elegance, beauty and design on this new baby! And everywhere I went, I heard other people who completely agreed with me.
In my opinion, Disney took the things that worked on the classics and then improved upon them...with three exceptions:
1-Pools
For whatever reason, Disney decided to make the adult and family pools smaller and the Mickey Pool slightly larger. Considering there will be, on average, more than 1000 people on the Dream than on the other two, I find this very weird. Let's start with the good though....the Mickey pool is a little bigger and the kids also have Nemo's Reef, which, is brilliant!!! A HUGE splash area for kids from 12 weeks to 8 (I think, will double check that!) all located in the shade!! The other thing is that the teens have their own private deck with hot tubs and other amazing amenities so you no longer will find the pools swarming with teenagers.
The Quiet Cove pool and area is way smaller and not nearly as nice as the ones on the other ships.
The Donald Pool is smaller than the Goofy pool, or at least, it seems smaller. The deck area near the pools also seem smaller because they are now joined and share the deck space.
This cruise was in January and I know it wasn't full and the pools always seemed pretty busy, especially on our At Sea day so I can only imagine what it will be like in June, July and August when the ships sell out and the weather is much hotter.
2-Aft Elevators
On the Dream, the aft elevators are located just outside of Cabanas, the buffet area and to go anywhere you must enter Cabanas
This seemed to be somewhat problematic at times. A lot of people had a really hard time finding the aft elevators. 
You often saw people in bathing suits walk through Cabanas as you were trying to grab some food.
3-Location of Shutters
What the heck were they thinking??? They put it in a main thoroughfare and then left ZERO room for people to walk by.
After having to pass by a few times, I wanted to smack whoever designed this area!! I avoided the area as often as possible!
So, other than those 3 major things, this ship was AWESOME!!! I will go into more detail when I write about each part and I will post tons of photos. You will see some similar photos as those posted already but I also tried to get some stuff that I didn't see online before I left. Not sure about what was posted in the past 5 days but I did my best.
Gonna go and work on some photos so I can post part 1 tonight
DREAM VIDEO LINK
My YouTube Video Link
Index:
Navigators
Embarkation Part 1
Embarkation Part 2
My Stateroom
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Stateroom Review
Other Staterooms
Category 9A Corner Room 6504
Category 9A Normal 7008
Category 4C Deluxe Family 7096
Category 11B Standard Inside 7021
1 bedroom concierge suite 11018 Part 1
1 bedroom concierge suite 11018 Part 2
Concierge Family Oceanview with Verandah 11010 Part 1
Concierge Family Oceanview with Verandah 11010 Part 2
Forward Corner Cabin 8504 courtesy of MJ (mmouse37)
Food Stuffs
Animator's Palate Part 1
Animator's Palate Part 2
Animator's Palate Part 3
Enchanted Garden Part 1
Enchanted Garden Part 2
Royal Palace Part 1
Royal Palace Part 2
Royal Palace Part 3
Royal Palace Part 4
Cabanas Welcome Aboard Buffet Part 1
Cabanas Welcome Aboard Buffet Part 2
Cabanas Welcome Aboard Buffet Part 3
Cabana's Breakfast Buffet Part 1
Cabana's Breakfast Buffet Part 2
Cabana's Breakfast Buffet Part 3
Cabana's Lunch Day At Sea
Pirate Night Buffet
Flo's Cafe Part 1
Flo's Cafe Part 2
Palo Part 1
Palo Part 2
Palo Part 3 Dinner!
Meridian
Castaway Cay Buffet at Cookies
Galley Tour Part 1
Galley Tour Part2
Other Food
Upper Decks Part 1 (pools, etc)
Upper Decks Part 2
Upper Decks Part 3
Upper Decks Part 4
Upper Decks Part 5
Upper Decks Part 6
Upper Decks Part 7
Upper Decks Part 8
Upper Decks Part 9
Upper Decks Reviews
Lower Decks Part 1 (promenade deck 4, Vista Cafe,Enchanted Art/Midship Detective Agency)
Lower Decks Part 2
Lower Decks Part 3
Lower Decks Part 4
Lower Decks Reviews
Miscellaneous Bathrooms
Atrium
Senses Spa Part 1
Senses Spa Part 2
Senses Spa Part 3
Kids Clubs Part 1
Kids Clubs Part 2
Kids Clubs Part 3
Kids Clubs Part 4
Vibe Part 1
Vibe Part 2
Vibe Part 3
Vibe Part 4
The Edge
Nursery Part 1
Nursery Part 2
The District (Adult Clubs)
Theatres Part 1
Theatres Part 2
Theatres Part 3
Castaway Cay Part 1
Castaway Cay Part 2
Castaway Cay Part 3
Serenity Bay
Private Cabana on CC Part 1
Private Cabana on CC Part 2
Merchandise Part 1
Merchandise Part 2
Pirate Party
Art of the Theme Ship Tour
Arrcade
Princess Gathering
D Lounge
Outlook
Outside Shots of the Dream Part 1
Outside Shots of the Dream Part 2
General Stuff Part 1
General Stuff Part 2 (stuff that doesn't really fit anywhere else!)
Disembarkation
Final Thoughts
This report is going to be a little different from my past trip reports...instead of doing a chronological, day-to-day report, I will be writing it in parts, offering my experiences/views along with lots of photos of each topic.
I will eventually be making a video from the 3.5 hours of footage that I took in the 4 days. But that will take some time to get done.
For now, while I upload my 2000+ photos to Photobucket (it takes forever!!!
) I will start by giving a general overview of my experience.PLEASE NOTE: I will be reporting on MY experiences and mine only. Everybody on a cruise has a unique and totally different experience not only because of what they did on the cruise but also because of their likes and dislikes. I overheard people saying how much they loved things that I really didn't care for at all and vice versa so please just take this into consideration when you are reading my opinions.
General Thoughts and Observations
I must confess, I followed every single tidbit of information that came out while the Dream was being built. I watched the Meyer Werft webcam often and was very excited as this glorious ship came to life. Even though I never thought I would get to actually set foot on her, I couldn't get enough!
So obviously I JUMPED at the last-minute chance to see her in person!
Because I read about her for two years, I knew her intimately before even stepping onboard but nothing can prepare you for her beauty when you first lay your own eyes on her.No longer was the Disney ship dwarfed by the other ships in Port Canaveral. She commanded your attention as soon as you caught a glimpse of her and she didn't disappoint. The first thing you notice is how much bigger she is than her predecessors. While she looks similar to the classics from the side, when you see her from the back, you can really tell that she has a personality all her own, from her widespread "hips" to Sorcerer Mickey and his brooms hanging down.
Then you look up and see that unique and awe inspiring thing they call the Aquaduck!
You just can't compare her with anything else, she's all alone in her design, innovativeness and sheer beauty!
Even though I have taken 4 cruises on the Magic and have studied the new deck plan for weeks, it still took me a full day to really know my way around this new ship. She has similarities to the classics (Atrium in the midship area, promenade deck is on 4 and Shops are on deck 3) but also features many changes from the Magic & Wonder (adult clubs are now located in the aft section, Balcony of WD Theatre is on deck 4, pools are on deck 11) and I often got them mixed up.
By Monday afternoon though, I had no problems finding my way. I'm pretty good with maps, navigating and directions so it might take an extra day for most people to be comfortable.
I didn't think it was possible but Disney outdid themselves with the decor, elegance, beauty and design on this new baby! And everywhere I went, I heard other people who completely agreed with me.
In my opinion, Disney took the things that worked on the classics and then improved upon them...with three exceptions:
1-Pools
For whatever reason, Disney decided to make the adult and family pools smaller and the Mickey Pool slightly larger. Considering there will be, on average, more than 1000 people on the Dream than on the other two, I find this very weird. Let's start with the good though....the Mickey pool is a little bigger and the kids also have Nemo's Reef, which, is brilliant!!! A HUGE splash area for kids from 12 weeks to 8 (I think, will double check that!) all located in the shade!! The other thing is that the teens have their own private deck with hot tubs and other amazing amenities so you no longer will find the pools swarming with teenagers.
The Quiet Cove pool and area is way smaller and not nearly as nice as the ones on the other ships.
The Donald Pool is smaller than the Goofy pool, or at least, it seems smaller. The deck area near the pools also seem smaller because they are now joined and share the deck space.
This cruise was in January and I know it wasn't full and the pools always seemed pretty busy, especially on our At Sea day so I can only imagine what it will be like in June, July and August when the ships sell out and the weather is much hotter.
2-Aft Elevators
On the Dream, the aft elevators are located just outside of Cabanas, the buffet area and to go anywhere you must enter Cabanas
This seemed to be somewhat problematic at times. A lot of people had a really hard time finding the aft elevators. You often saw people in bathing suits walk through Cabanas as you were trying to grab some food. 3-Location of Shutters
What the heck were they thinking??? They put it in a main thoroughfare and then left ZERO room for people to walk by.
After having to pass by a few times, I wanted to smack whoever designed this area!! I avoided the area as often as possible!So, other than those 3 major things, this ship was AWESOME!!! I will go into more detail when I write about each part and I will post tons of photos. You will see some similar photos as those posted already but I also tried to get some stuff that I didn't see online before I left. Not sure about what was posted in the past 5 days but I did my best.
Gonna go and work on some photos so I can post part 1 tonight
DREAM VIDEO LINK
My YouTube Video Link
Index:
Navigators
Embarkation Part 1
Embarkation Part 2
My Stateroom
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Stateroom Review
Other Staterooms
Category 9A Corner Room 6504
Category 9A Normal 7008
Category 4C Deluxe Family 7096
Category 11B Standard Inside 7021
1 bedroom concierge suite 11018 Part 1
1 bedroom concierge suite 11018 Part 2
Concierge Family Oceanview with Verandah 11010 Part 1
Concierge Family Oceanview with Verandah 11010 Part 2
Forward Corner Cabin 8504 courtesy of MJ (mmouse37)
Food Stuffs
Animator's Palate Part 1
Animator's Palate Part 2
Animator's Palate Part 3
Enchanted Garden Part 1
Enchanted Garden Part 2
Royal Palace Part 1
Royal Palace Part 2
Royal Palace Part 3
Royal Palace Part 4
Cabanas Welcome Aboard Buffet Part 1
Cabanas Welcome Aboard Buffet Part 2
Cabanas Welcome Aboard Buffet Part 3
Cabana's Breakfast Buffet Part 1
Cabana's Breakfast Buffet Part 2
Cabana's Breakfast Buffet Part 3
Cabana's Lunch Day At Sea
Pirate Night Buffet
Flo's Cafe Part 1
Flo's Cafe Part 2
Palo Part 1
Palo Part 2
Palo Part 3 Dinner!
Meridian
Castaway Cay Buffet at Cookies
Galley Tour Part 1
Galley Tour Part2
Other Food
Upper Decks Part 1 (pools, etc)
Upper Decks Part 2
Upper Decks Part 3
Upper Decks Part 4
Upper Decks Part 5
Upper Decks Part 6
Upper Decks Part 7
Upper Decks Part 8
Upper Decks Part 9
Upper Decks Reviews
Lower Decks Part 1 (promenade deck 4, Vista Cafe,Enchanted Art/Midship Detective Agency)
Lower Decks Part 2
Lower Decks Part 3
Lower Decks Part 4
Lower Decks Reviews
Miscellaneous Bathrooms
Atrium
Senses Spa Part 1
Senses Spa Part 2
Senses Spa Part 3
Kids Clubs Part 1
Kids Clubs Part 2
Kids Clubs Part 3
Kids Clubs Part 4
Vibe Part 1
Vibe Part 2
Vibe Part 3
Vibe Part 4
The Edge
Nursery Part 1
Nursery Part 2
The District (Adult Clubs)
Theatres Part 1
Theatres Part 2
Theatres Part 3
Castaway Cay Part 1
Castaway Cay Part 2
Castaway Cay Part 3
Serenity Bay
Private Cabana on CC Part 1
Private Cabana on CC Part 2
Merchandise Part 1
Merchandise Part 2
Pirate Party
Art of the Theme Ship Tour
Arrcade
Princess Gathering
D Lounge
Outlook
Outside Shots of the Dream Part 1
Outside Shots of the Dream Part 2
General Stuff Part 1
General Stuff Part 2 (stuff that doesn't really fit anywhere else!)
Disembarkation
Final Thoughts
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