First-time cruiser's view on the Dream, April 10-14

[geekmommy]

I'll start this out by saying that it's my first detailed full trip review, so please be gentle with me! Hope you find it helpful.

About us: the most important thing you need to know is that we wouldn't consider ourselves "cruise people". What on earth is a "cruise person", you ask? (It's not meant to be at all pejorative, so relax!) What I mean is that all-inclusives and cruises have never really appealed to us, because we like to immerse ourselves in the local culture when we travel. So usually we go on VRBO, find a rental, learn some of the language if necessary, do extensive pre-trip research about all the "hidden" gems (restaurants, lesser-known historical sites, shopping), and then go explore on our own schedule. The thought of having all our meals planned out ahead of time was very odd for us! But, despite all this, I've wanted to go on a Disney cruise for years. I love the family atmosphere, the entertainment, and the thought of a high-quality kids' program that our son will *want* to attend when DH & I want adult time. When I read about the Dream, I thought, "This is it. Now it's just a matter of convincing DH."

It took about a year, and it wouldn't have happened if DH weren't such a procrastinator about gift buying. About noon on Christmas Eve, he asked me what I wanted. Up to this point, his biggest score on the gift front had been a surprise trip to Rome (grownups only!) that we thoroughly enjoyed. But DS is 6 and I really wanted to travel with him this time. So I asked, gingerly, about a cruise on the Dream. DH wasn't especially thrilled with the idea, but he agreed that DS would love it and he would deal.

Not long afterward, I found this site while doing my usual excessive/obsessive research. This review is my way of giving back.

More to come...

 

[MagicMe]

I love hearing about first timers impressions! I've cruised Disney four times but it will be my first time on the Dream so very excited for something new!!

 

[hopare]

I am onboard and ready for more! I am very interested to hear about your sons experience on board the Dream and in the kids clubs!

 

[geekmommy]

We live in NC, and usually fly to FL when we visit. We decided to drive this time for several reasons - one, we wanted to take our time traveling; two, it seemed like it would be cheaper ; three, we wanted to spend some time in FL afterward; four, the TSA. In hindsight, perhaps train + rental car would have been better - but no real complaints.

Friday night we drove to Savannah, and stayed at the HGI Airport. (We have loads of HHonors points, so all the hotels were reward stays.) I would have preferred the Hampton but they were booked. The hotel was OK. The bed was rock hard and I didn't sleep well. Breakfast was expensive for the little bit that we ate, and it seemed like they were nickel-and-diming us on everything. On the way out I noticed a sign on the front desk that the beds were the Sleep Number types and made a note to adjust the firmness on the way back!

Saturday we drove to Cocoa Beach, with a quick stop at St. Augustine, where we scored some great deals at the Tommy Bahama outlet and had a delicious lunch at Cabo Taco. We stayed at the Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach and enjoyed it a great deal. The beach was more crowded than we would like and the water was brown & cloudy. But DS didn't care and I enjoyed being near the ocean. The hotel has free parking for cruise guests, but the shuttle to the port isn't free (which wasn't really clear on the website). We decided not to take it because it didn't leave until 11, and we (OK, I) wanted to get to the port early. We had a 10:30 arrival slot and got there around 9:35.

DH dropped us off with the luggage and went to park. A porter took the checked bags immediately and DS & I got into the long line. It soon became apparent that most of the people in line were disembarking guests waiting for transportation so we moved up much closer to the front as time went on. Had a great time chatting with a family who had just gotten off and they gave DS one of their extra lanyards, which he wore proudly the rest of the trip.

The gates opened at 10, and security went smoothly - amazing what a smile will do to ease this process! Filled out health forms, got in line and was given boarding group 2. A few minutes later, we checked in, got pictures & KTTW cards, and as we were leaving, asked about upgrades. The CM checked, said there were two upgrades available, and sent us to the supervisor's desk. When we first asked the supervisor about an upgrade, they said, "Probably not," but they did go ahead and check. Two 1 BR suites were available, one on deck 11 and one on deck 12. After seeing this, the supervisor was all smiles and encouraged us to "go all out" with the deck 12. At the time we really didn't know the difference, but deck 12 was much more convenient to concierge services (more in room report). Upgrade cost was determined with a matrix (current category on one side and upgrade category on the other). Cost to move from 4A to the suite was $700. At the time it was slightly difficult to justify this to myself, considering that the only reason I wanted the upgrade was to guarantee a cabana on CC. But, I figured that since we were in concierge that I could cancel the two hour spa appointment that I'd booked for the sea day in anticipation of the crowds making me stir crazy. And, since the Hurricanes didn't make the playoffs, we had some extra money to spend on vacation. So we turned in our KTTW cards and group 2 boarding cards, and got gold cards and an invitation to the lounge.

The concierge lounge at the port was full but much quieter than the rest of the port. The staff took care of DS's kids' club registration for us, and we enjoyed the view of the ship. Embarkation was exciting, and we loved the first glimpse of the atrium. DS got a big kick out of being announced, and we were instructed to go to the concierge lounge on deck 12.

More to come...

 

[geekmommy]

We took the midship elevators to Deck 12, and wondered where the heck the lounge was - since deck 12 is open air at that location. Fortunately, we were with others in the same situation, and we figured it must be forward. So forward we went. It wasn't hard to find, and we were soon checked into the lounge and asked to take a seat. The concierge managers were greeting each family individually to go over their itineraries, answer any questions, and book any excursions that hadn't been booked already. We were offered beverages (adult and otherwise) and invited to visit the buffet, which had fruit, hors d'oeuvres, water & most likely the best coffee service on the ship.

The concierge check in process was the thing that needed the most work. The lounge is not big enough to hold everyone traveling in concierge at once - and there's no reason it needs to be. So they shouldn't try to shoehorn everyone in there for the 90 minutes or so it took us to finish the process. The ideal situation would have been to welcome us in, assign us an appointment time with a concierge manager, and invite us to store our hand luggage and explore until it's time to have the big meeting. That said, once it was our turn they made a point to take care of us. Our assigned manager was Julia, and I cannot say enough wonderful things about her! Of the other managers, Tobias was very good and unfailingly pleasant, and Lynda really didn't seem to like her job. Unfortunately, Lynda seemed to be the senior one. Her attitude didn't bother me as I just went to Julia or Tobias for anything I needed. But I could understand people being upset with her.

Back to check in - since we had upgraded at the port, Julia did not have our itinerary ready. She promised to deliver it to the room ASAP. She told us about all the concierge amenities, booked our cabana , and cancelled my spa appointment. She told us where to find the room and that it would be ready at 1:30. That was about it - and DH & DS were finally able to take off to the Aquaduck, while I stayed with the luggage. Since it was about 1:00 by this time, I walked over to the room (all the way across the hall from the lounge), and found the door open the room cleaned. So I brought the luggage in and started to unpack.

The suite (12012) was stunning. I really had no idea what to expect, so to say it exceeded my expectations is pretty meaningless. The first thing I noticed, besides the size, was the balcony. The suite is double the width of a normal balcony stateroom, so of course the balcony was also double. What we didn't anticipate is that it's in the spot at the front of the ship where the balconies curve out. It was enormous. After admiring it for a while, I came back in and noticed the bathroom. Wow. I didn't know there was a whirlpool and separate shower! Yes, I'd seen pictures but for some reason thought that was only for the Walt & Roy suites. At this point I was thinking the $700 was money very well spent. Back out to start unpacking. The entry is lined with doors, and I started unloading into the big closets - one of which was a walk-in. Then got another surprise when I found that one of the closets was another full bath! You can tell my research didn't include concierge! There was also a table for 4, two lovely fruit & cheese baskets, a comfy sofa & sitting area, and a desk next to the Murphy bed. It connects to 12010, which also has the curved balcony.

At this point, I'm wondering if we'll ever want to leave the cabin.

More to come (taking a break now)...

 

[golfermike35]

Can't wait to hear more!!! We are booked on the Fantasy for 5/5/12 in the exact same room that you are describing on the DREAM!! Details, details details......please!!! Once you upgrade to concierge you can never go back.

Mike

 

[tdizzle]

oh wow what a great beginning . . .

 

[jerseygirl74]

I am now hoping I can upgrade when we go on our cruise

 

[gfly]

very nice!

 

[geekmommy]

I am now hoping I can upgrade when we go on our cruise

Get there EARLY, smile, and don't be too disappointed if it's no. I am not sure what the situation was with ours, but we were looking online for upgrades for the few months prior to the cruise. Once a family stateroom came up, but I'd read reviews about the layout being better in 4A, and also some reviews complaining about concierge - so we didn't get it. That was the only time anything came up. Perhaps they were saving the suites for last minute VIPs? No idea how we got so lucky but I hope you do too!

Would imagine that having a higher category room helped, because our old room was a good upgrade for someone else.

 

[geekmommy]

After I unpacked the carry-ons, DH & DS came back from Aquaduck fun and we headed off to Cabana's for a late lunch. DS has severe food allergies, so we asked for help navigating the line. The host brought the chef out, who took note of the allergies, asked DS what he wanted, and said he would make it in the special galley and bring it out. Food ranged from good to very good. DH & I ate sparingly in order to save room for Remy. We then went back to the cabin to relax & finish unpacking.

Speaking of unpacking, can you say, "overpack"??? Though some of it would have come in handy if we'd stayed in 9132. We brought a few bottles of wine (unnecessary as there was better wine in the concierge lounge before dinner), and a press pot with a bag of coffee grounds (unnecessary because of the espresso & fun coffee drink machine in the lounge). I would also have planned on recycling dinner clothes, since that's what happened anyway. And, while we had fun going all out for Pirate Night, I would probably just go with a t-shirt & bandana next time. (Though I doubt there would be strangers coming up & asking to take pictures with me in that getup.)

DH started getting queasy around that point, so he took a Bonine and tried out the bed - one of the most comfortable beds I've ever slept in. I'm very prone to motion sickness so I got the patch. Other than feeling strange for the first 6-8 hours, it was great. Of course Bonine is cheaper, but I was afraid it wouldn't work for me. DH is not as prone to motion sickness as I am, but he NEEDED the Bonine. The seas weren't rough on our trip so if you tend to get sick, take precautions. I put the patch on in the morning before leaving the room - DH probably should have taken Bonine then as well. The room is high & forward so there is definitely motion.

After unpacking, DS & I tried on our lifevests, then we all went down for the lifeboat drill. This cabin is muster station B, 4th floor in the Walt Disney Theatre balcony. Our leader was the actor who played Hades & other fun roles in the shows, so he made it entertaining. Afterward we went out to the deck to see the lifeboat and walk around. Deck chairs were comfortable and I'm sure that without the upgrade we would have spent a lot of time here. Very nice.

As DH wasn't feeling well yet, we skipped the party and went back to the cabin. DS and I sat on the balcony and snacked on fruit, cheese and lunch leftovers. Soon it was time for The Golden Mickeys, so we went back downstairs and sat in the balcony. Note: there's no need to get there super early for the early show, especially in the balcony. While they did a good job of keeping it interesting during the wait, DS had a hard time making it through the show. We showed up right at curtain the other nights and it was fine.

After the show, we took DS to the Oceaneer's Club/Lab. We expected him to LOVE it - he usually really takes to the drop-in childcare and camps. I think he was a little bit overwhelmed, but he jumped right in and we left after chatting with one of the CMs about his food allergies and giving her a bag of chocolates for the common room. Note: they do NOT serve dinner in the clubs on the first night. We checked with DS to see if he wanted to eat and then come back, but he wanted to stay. We headed back to the room to get dressed for Remy.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, we were greeted with bonsoirs and asked to wait in Meridian for our server. We sat down briefly but were moved to Remy immediately. The restaurant is intimate, quiet and beautiful. We were seated side-by-side in a small round booth, and our waiter started the meal with an amazing champagne cocktail, which he prepared in front of us while explaining everything he put in it. I don't drink a lot, and was worried when he added vodka, but it was delicious and did not ruin my palate for dinner as I had feared! We were then served an amuse-bouche, which was delicious but unfortunately I can't remember what it was. Will update later if the senior moment stops. We then ordered - I'm allergic to shellfish so did a la carte; DH ordered the Saveur Menu. They had half-bottles of wine, so we ordered that rather than 5 glasses each for the pairing. After ordering, I remembered that the Wave phone is silent, so I took it out so we'd see it. And saw a message from the Club, from 20 minutes earlier, telling us to come get DS immediately. We shared the message with our server and asked if we could change our reservation or have it in the room or *something*. He summoned the maitre d', who called the club to check and told us to relax in the meantime. We tried! After a few minutes, we were told that DS had been upset but they successfully distracted him, and he was OK at the moment. Our server could tell we were concerned, so he said he would ask the chef to accelerate our meal and we should try to enjoy it. So we did. The meal did not seem rushed, but we could tell it was faster than the norm. We missed the cheese course, but frankly were too stuffed at that point to mind. They sent us out with packets of the sweets they offer after dinner, and let us know that we had broken the time record for fastest dinner at a little less than 90 minutes. My favorite was the Declinaison Tomate, followed by the Australian Wagyu. I originally only ordered four courses, but our server urged me to get a fifth in order to keep up with DH - on his suggestion I got the Pigeonneau, which was good but incredibly rich. I couldn't finish it (and it wasn't big!).

We rushed back to the Club to find DS engrossed in a video game and completely uninterested in returning to the room. We found out later that one of the CMs upset him somehow, but he's not the best communicator so still aren't sure exactly what happened, other than, "The short woman creeped me out and I didn't like her." This is unusual for him (he's very social and likes everyone) so something must have happened. We took him out anyway and returned to the room, where he was excited to see that his bed had magically appeared. DH & I changed and we all headed to deck 10 for our DISboards Yankee Swap meet. This was a lot of fun - I actually enjoyed this more than the FE (though DS would disagree, but he didn't spend weeks before the cruise stressing about the FE).

We got to bed around 11-ish - a very long day for DS, who woke up at 4 AM, but we were encouraged that the late seating wasn't a mistake. Sleeping on a cruise was great - I slept like a rock in the wonderful bed. DS usually gets up in the night and wants to cuddle. No exception here. Every night, I went to bed with a big man and woke up with a little one, with DH in the Murphy bed. He said it was really uncomfortable so keep that in mind. Not sure why he didn't put the kid back in it as DS never complained about the comfort...

More to come...

 

[sorul82?]

I'm here my friend, I'm here!!

 

[sorul82?]

DH & I changed and we all headed to deck 10 for our DISboards Yankee Swap meet. This was a lot of fun - I actually enjoyed this more than the FE (though DS would disagree, but he didn't spend weeks before the cruise stressing about the FE).

Really? There were some pretty awesome FE gifts!

As for the motion sickness, I'm as bad as they come. We were nearly aft deck 7. I had absolutely no issues.

 

[jerseygal]

When you say Aft, (pardon me, first time cruiser), around what room numbers do you mean? I was told Deck 7 midship would be a good deck for someone like myself concerned about seasick...

Thanks much!

 

[jerseygal]

So you were on Deck 7, toward back of ship and you didn't feel much motion and weren't bothered? Good for you!

 

[sorul82?]

So you were on Deck 7, toward back of ship and you didn't feel much motion and weren't bothered? Good for you!

We had cabins 7176 and 7178. I was fine.

 

[geekmommy]

Really? There were some pretty awesome FE gifts!

As for the motion sickness, I'm as bad as they come. We were nearly aft deck 7. I had absolutely no issues.

Oh, the gifts were great! And I really enjoyed making the adult gifts. But I stressed myself out over not having time to do all I wanted with the kids' gifts, and packing, and not having a FE (thanks John & Debbie for the loan!). I just enjoyed getting to meet everyone in person, and the swap was a fun way to start the cruise. The most fun part of the FE for me was running into everyone in the halls!

 

[MrsMinease]

I'm loving the report so far! Can't wait to read on.

 

[A-Team]

I'm in...love the honesty.

 

[happy tink]

Hi all. Great job Geekmommy! I felt as though I was living the cruise a bit while reading your review!
Thank you! Anyway, I had a wonderful vacation on the Dream. My only dissappointment is not getting to know you all better; the reason we need a SEVEN night cruise!
Now guess who I am?