I "Dared to Dream"- a trip report.

[SoCaOC-Mom]

Hi all, my pre-trip report can be found here

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2828888

I've now been back home for a day and am starting my actual trip report. I'm having a bit of an issue getting my land legs back but hopefully I can get a big chunk started.

Getting there

I tried to go to bed early but I think I was too excited and nervous I couldn't fall asleep. We had the alarm set for 3 am and planned on being on the road by 4 am to get to LAX for 5ish. We actually put the kids to bed in the cloths they would be wearing to to the airport and on the plane and just loaded them into the car half asleep.

It was a pretty long flight since we were traveling across the country. I think it was about 4.5 hours.


As mentioned in the pre-trip report we spent way too much on our airfare and found the on flight entertainment very archaic. It was one of the systems that dropped down from the overhead compartment . I don't know what movie they were showing but it was started late into the flight and I don't think my kids would have liked it. Thank gosh we brought our our touch pads to keep the kids quiet and entertained. Although the flight crew was great. The flight also wasn't full so we were able to sit one adult and one kid per row with an empty seat than the 4 seats straight across.

Fla weather is a lot more humid than I expected. This was actually my first time there. But thankfully we didn't have to wait too long for our shuttle.


Our pre-stay was at the Embassy hotel and suites which was close to MCO. I found the room to be very large and the beds to be comfortable.

The staff was over all pretty nice to very nice, the only thing I can say that irritated me was that I called 2 days before and asked that our rooms (our friends and ours) be close together only to find out we weren't even on the same floor. I don't know why this would have been so difficult to accommodate. But they did let our friends who arrived MUCH earlier than us to check in early which was nice.

The shuttle driver was very nice and accommodating and even was going to take us to TGIF's for dinner but I guess there was a lot going on in town and it was a 30 minute wait (so we ended up back at the hotel). The food at the hotel was pretty good, although I just had a hamburger as did my kids. We also enjoyed the managers reception (maybe a little too much)

We had the pleasure of seeing a wedding take place in the atrium. It was a lovely service and all the guests viewing it were respectful (No one yelled out 'Don't do it" or paraded through).

After diner my friends husband and I - as well as some other guests in the hotel and people in the wedding party had some cocktails at the bar. I heard there were some noise complaints because the way the hotel is designed voices carry all the way up the open atrium. I apologize to anyone who was disturbed.

Needless to say, I paid for it the next morning when I had to wake up at 7am (which felt like 4am to a Californian) after no sleep the night before. I won't make that mistake again. I was so tired the first day of the cruise.

The other down side to the hotel is that they didn't seem to have very many luggage carts or bell hops. We had to lug all our suit cases down to the lobby in batches.

We booked Martin Faynick to transport us to the port.

http://transportation.orlandotaxiservice.com/

His prices and services were very good and I would use him again.

We has a pick up time of 9:30 but it probably ended up being closer to 9:45 by the time we hit the road because of the luggage situation.

We also planned to hit the liquor store by port- VERY IMPORTANT to those leaving on a Sunday that it doesn't open until 1pm so we ended up making our purchases at 7/11 which limited what we could buy.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

We arrived at port around or shortly after our allotted time (I know it wasn't before 11 since we were allowed in) . There was no issue with crowds outside or people running to get to be the first ones in.

We also had no problem getting a porter to handle the bags.

We used our umbrella stroller to cart our 7/11 purchases around and made our way into the terminal. The security process was pretty fast; the only weird thing was that we were told we had to cover up the label on the 1/2 case of beer my friends husband had. I guess it's not an approved Disney brand? Clearly, it isn't a big deal and I am only mentioning it as an FYI.

There was a CM to great us at the top and directed us to fill out the health forms. For whatever reason we weren't directed to the non US citizen line (my friends are Canadian and so am I) . The CM we got seemed to be kind of slow but maybe it was because I am a US resident and he was doing something with my green card because our friends were done a good few minutes ahead of us.

We got boarding number 3- as did our friends

But the time we were done and got our stuff together they where calling our numbers. I am glad to say there weren't teams of people crowding the entrance like I had read about in the past.

A good DIS tip we used was to use just one KWTC card for pictures since we planned on buying a CD. We took our picture as a whole group.

The welcoming was nice, but it wasn't like the video's I've seen where there is rows of CM's clapping and cheering wildly as people got on the ship. It was more like 1 but I appreciated her enthusiasm for something she probably has to do ever couple of days, for hundreds of families.

We then made our way up to Cabana's for something to eat. Thank goodness this was before the ship was full since it wasn't hectic at all - a bit later in the day it seemed like mayhem in there.

One frustrating thing is that there didn't seem to be any trays there, so if you were traveling with kids you need to make several trips while 1 adult hangs back to watch them. Never mind the separate trips for the drinks -another great DIS tip is to bring one of those drink trays from places like McDonald's for that.

Around 1pm, my girlfriend and I made our way to Palo to get ressies for brunch and scored an 11am for 4 people.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

A little before 1:30pm we made our way to deck 6 to drop our stuff off in our state room. I think they were running a little late as it wasn't too long before there were piles of people waiting everywhere.

We were in 6565 and our friends were in 6566 which are connecting.

But before long they were opened and we made our way inside. The room was pretty much what I expected, the only thing I was prepared for was that the shower room and the toilet room seemed to be a little risen and you had to step up.

It was also a little frustrating trying to unpack everything with the kids and DH in the room.

At some point we met our stateroom host Albert who was awesome. He was very friendly and accommodating.

We hung out for a bit before we made our way to get our kids bands for the clubs and to check out the open house and the nursery.

I had been reading different things and it had me a bit nervous. Over all the club and nursery experience was a good one.

We first went to the lab to get Ryanne her band, it seemed a bit chaotic as they were busy with people who didn't fill out any registration on line, either because they didn't get the chance to or something went wrong. I heard there was a compute glitch.

I noticed on my oldest daughters band it said MED on it in bold letters. I am assuming it was a quick indicator that she had some medical needs.

I also asked about the chances of my almost 3 year old being moved up to the club. The YAC I spoke to seemed to indicated it was possible given the answer wasn't a quick NO and asked a bunch of questions about her such as if she is 100% potty trained and fully independent.

She is potty trained and typically wants to be in the bathroom at home by herself, except in public places she is used to being with me in a stall. She also has not ever been in anytime of child care environment.

I was told if she was moved, then she would not be able to go back to the nursery if she failed in the club.

I decided it would be best to test her nursery first then defer to the YAC there based on how well she did.

I can't say that the same situation would be true for everyone, I got the feeling that some YAC's are more accommodating than others. There was one I over heard talking to another family that seemed very "Sergent Major" like "HAVE YOUR KIDS BEEN IN THE CLUB BEFORE?" "ALRIGHT WELL THERE HAS BEEN A CHANGE IN RULES SINCE THEN". She then kind of soften her tone a little and said "I'll explain the changes in policy" and then went on to talk about secured programming vs open houses.

We walked around the club and the lab for a bit to get a feel for the place. I cant say I noticed any actual programing going on at that point. It was more like a free for all. I guess most of the YAC were busy signing kids up and in.

We then checked out the nursery and I explained to one of the YAC that I was thinking of moving Reese to the club given her age and that her sister and friends were there; but that I had some trepidations so I would appreciate some feed back and there opinions on it based on how well she did with them.

I also introduced her to a few of the YAC's just so she wouldn't freak out when we dropped her off. They seemed really nice.

We then went back to the room to get changed for the show. The Golden Mickey's was by far my favorite although unfortunately but that time it was about 9:30pm according to my body clock. I was shattered from the last 48 hours before and it was hard to stay awake.

We then headed back to the room for a bit to get ready for diner at AP.

When we were first seated I was kind of annoyed. I had booked the cruise over 10 months ago had asked for a table near one of the screens. Not only were we not near one, we were parked right in front of the waiter station. Yes, I get a request is only that...but I highly doubt that 10 months ago this was all they had for second seating dinner on a near empty ship (at that point). So I cant say we enjoyed the show. Not so much that we weren't part of it, but that the kids could barely see it and none of us could hardly hear it. IMO the old format would have probably been more enjoyable since everyone can see it.

We also did not get the serving team I requested, but I kind of prepared myself for that since I had heard so many moved the Fantasy. We had Louis and Julianna. They weren't bad and I would say all in all they were pretty good. But they weren't blow my socks off-out of this world great either.

Maybe I am used to traditional restaurants where drinks come within a couple of minutes but they seemed to take a while. The kids were starting to get impatient. My friend told me that her oldest daughter was kind of scared of the drink server. She definitely wasn't rude or unfriendly, I think it might have been her accent and the syntax she used e.g. "You want drink now?" combined with my friends daughter is a little on the sensitive side.

After dinner we checked the kids into the club and nursery. My DH went to bed and my friend did too. Her DH and I headed to Skyline for the meet. But first we handed out the F/E gifts, it actually wasn't too difficult to deliver them or take as long as I expected with the exception of those who in a concierge room, I guess they started to lock the gate again. (I brought them to guest services the next day and they said they would deliver them for me). This is what I made, but a couple of the pictures were blurry. Basically ever stateroom got a red frame and either a blue cruising frame or a pirate one. Also all the kids got an individual gift.

My friends gave out a Disney tote bag, with glow sticks, a highlighter and a pack of smarties (the Canadian version) .



We then made our way to Skyline. We weren't there too long before we got paged that one of the kids wanted to be picked up- and it was on the way out we met a few of the couples from the meet up.

I had a great nights sleep I have to say the beds, pillows and comforters on the Dream are fantastic.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

I woke up about 9 am and made my way to the cove cafe for some real coffee. (The coffee that is served in Cabana's IMO tastes like sewage ) and admired the view of Atlantis from the comfy loungers in the adult only area.

I did see some people with small children pass through, my guess is they were in concierge suites but I didn't find it to be an issue. They were quiet and they didn't linger.

I then went back to the room and got the kids up for breakfast, thankfully my friends were doing the same as my husband was going to sleep in.
We then brought the kids back to the room and got our bathing suits for a quick swim. My DH was just getting up and wanted to shower and shave first and said he would meet us later.

Our friends went to the aquaduck and we stayed by the pool. My kids were too small for the aquaduck and only my oldest was big enough./old enough for the Mickey slide. She really seemed to like it. It kind of broke my heart since I was by myself so I had to stand their with my youngest while she watched her older sister ride it again and again. She kept on saying "Okay it's my turn now" and started to cry when I told her no, she wasn't allowed. After a few rides I told my oldest it was time to go to Nemo's reef for Reese's slide. They both had fun on it.

The Nemo's reef slide kind of freaks me out- the kids shoot out of it so fast I was afraid they would cracked their heads open or go flying into the glass wall.

By the time my DH was coming to meet us, we were leaving and actually bumped into each other on the elevator.

Our friends were going to afternoon the morning off the ship to have lunch but we were staying on board because I had booked the champagne tasting for 1pm.

We got the kids changed and ready for lunch, we decided to eat at Royal Palace. The kids had the mickey spaghetti, my oldest also had a cheese burger. DH and I had the halibut. I thought it was fantastic.

By the time we were done, it was time for me to head out to Pink.

They had it all set up with the glasses set out, I ended up in a seat by myself since they only people I knew that were where was Imonaboat and Cashbah from the boards- although I was next to them.

It was a new cast member, I am not sure if he was a Oenophile or a Sommelier. I am thinking the first because he said he didnt really beleive in the notion of drinking a white or red wine based on the meal, that people should just drink what they want. Also most of his instruction was on how the champange was made than how it should be paired.

He explained that some of the elements to examine when tasting champagne. When you first hold it up you are looking at color, the color comes from the skin of the grapes used. The deeper the color the longer the skins have been left there.You are also looking a the size and location of the bubbles. The smaller the bubbles, the more expensive the champagne is, in addition more expensive champagnes tend to have bubbles coming from one location, where cheaper bubble every where.

When you smell the champagne, you will tend to either smell fruits and sugars or if it is a dryer champagne you will smell the yeast.

The first champagne was a rose, it was pretty good.

We also tried a Taittinger brut and Moet & Chandon Brut, it was my favorite. (there is one I am forgetting)

There was also a champagne cocktail mixed with a cognac, which I hated.

Over all, it was a great experience and well worth the price.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

For some reason, it doesn't look like my pictures are being added but these are the F/E gifts I gave out.

Sorry a few of them are kind of blurry, I took them with my phone.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

To kill some time after our friends got back from their lunch in Nassau before our 6:15 show of Villain's Tonight we decided to check out the open house for a while.

My little ones killed on the dance floor game.

My youngest was also dancing with a YAC named Chris

I have some video that I will try to post later.

I also think these were taken on either the way to or back from the open house- or maybe even when we were dropping them off in the evening for our Remy dinner.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

At some point, we brought the kids to get something to eat since we knew that would be going to dinner at 8pm and would miss our rotation diner in Enchanted Garden.

We then went to the show which was Villain's Tonight. I ended up leaving half way through since I wanted to finish getting ready for our diner. I thought that some of the jokes were kind of funny, but over all it came across as really campy. I had read a lot of criticism about this show and I can now kind of see what they meant. But the special effects and stage design were outstanding.

It wasn't long before we my DH and kids- along with our friends returned. The men again went to get the kids some more food while the ladies got dressed and sipped champagne.

When the guys returned it didnt take them long to get change- and away were we to drop the kids off and make our way to Remy.

The hostess greeted us and made a point to show us the $25,000 of wine in the cellar. I jokingly said "We'll take 2" which on reflection I am sure they have heard 1000 times. We were actually told they had originally bought 2 bottles and had planned to hold 1 for the Fantasy but it broke when they were loading the ship.

I think we might have been given the best seats in the house- we were in the wine cellar.

The service was obviously impeccable and I loved all the little touches such as a little chair for our purses.

 

[lianne_0325]

Little chair for your purses?!? Wow! Sounds incredible.

 

[jedijill]

Great report so far! Sounds fantastic.

Jill in CO

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

Thanks girls...there is still more to come.

 

[mimmi]

Hi! We loved the picture frames and tomorrow we will decide which pictures fit best.

I was looking for you at the champagne tasting but nobody looked like your picture maybe I should have taken a closer look.

The four girls are so cute!!

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

You were at the champagne tasting and I missed you?

I was seated by myself at a table for 2 in the middle. To the right of me was Imonaboat and his wife.

I am glad you liked the frames. You gave out the coffee mug with the mickey spoon and hand cream with chocolates right? Loved it. Thank You.

The girls haven't eaten the cookie you got for them yet but my 2 year old wanted to early this morning (but it was too early for me to deal with the sugar rush.)

 

[lianne_0325]

My kids ate there chocolate while we were on the ship. It was gone really quick! They both thought it was very yummy.

 

[mimmi]

Yes the coffee mugs were from me, I chose sweets that are very typical for Austria, I bought the spoons in Japan/Tokyo when I was there, it was love at first sight.
It's so sad that the cruise is over, it's freezing over here, I can't believe we wore tshirts two days ago.
Looking forward to reading some more about your trip!

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

Yes the coffee mugs were from me, I chose sweets that are very typical for Austria, I bought the spoons in Japan/Tokyo when I was there, it was love at first sight.
It's so sad that the cruise is over, it's freezing over here, I can't believe we wore tshirts two days ago.
Looking forward to reading some more about your trip!

I had a feeling you got the spoons on your trip. They are so unique and precious.

I am in Southern California so one thing I still got to come home to was fantastic weather.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

We were introduced to our server and our wine steward.

Our friends selected a nice bottle of red and I selected a bottle of Moet & Chandon Brut. It was a nice opportunity for me to share what I learned about from my tasting earlier in the evening.

I also enjoyed the Collette, which is a champagne and vodka cocktail that is complimentary.

The sever explained the menu to us and recommended that since we were two couple that one person in each couple select Saveur and the other the Goût.

Around this time the movement of the ship really began to kick in. I am not sure if the sea was extra rough or we just felt it more because of our location but my DH and my friend started to feel a bit green. I was a bit uneasy myself but not enough to spoil my appetite.

They brought out an amuse bouche and they told us the way to eat it was just to pop it our mouths. I didn't care for it too much, I imagined it tasted like what deep fried butter would that you can get at some state fairs.

We went on to sample other courses, all of which I enjoyed. At some point we were brought what I was told to be ratatouille. I think it might be the most incredible thing I have eaten in my entire life. I don't know how to describe the all the flavors but it was really a taste of heaven.

I know that in previous trip reports they brought out the little chocolate bar and lollipops as a course, but they deliver them to us in a bundle.

We also ordered a specialty coffee with our desserts.

When the bill came, the men took care of it but both couples tipped an additional $50. The service was well worth it.

After dinner my DH went to pick up the kids, while Tommi, Michelle and I went to Skyline. I don't actually remember this. I think between fatigue, the drowsiness from the sea sick meds and the dinner drinks ( I think between the pre dinner cocktail and what was ordered, I had about 4 glasses, which really isn't too much over 3 hours. I might have still had a buzz from the champagne tasting) .

We didn't even stay long enough for a drink before I said that I had to go.

When I got back to my room and into my pj's my husband thought it would be a great idea to record me. He kept on asking me what time I wanted the alarm clock set for and between my silence I kept on telling him "60 words". I have no idea what that means....maybe I was dreaming of Word Feud or something. But that became the running joke of the cruise..Tommi would say at the at different times "We're getting 60 words drunk tonight". None of us did, (my DH doesn't even drink) but it was still an amusing motto.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

The 6 year old of our friend had bitten into an apple and lost her first tooth!

She asked if the tooth fairy knew to visit kids on cruise ships and her parents assured her she did- and that maybe it would even be Tinkerbell and that she probably gives out money in the currency of the country you come from.

Then I remembered something...DIS TIP #2254748

KIDS DO NOT READ THE NEXT SECTION.



I advised my friends to go guest services and let them know...they gave Tommi a little package with a commemorative button that says "I lost a tooth", some pixie dust (the confetti used in the golden Micky's) and 3 Disney themed chocolate coins.

KIDS Can read below


I got up about 9 am and got into my swimwear- again I had to make a stop at the cove cafe for a real coffee and had a quick bite to eat in there.

Around 10am I made my way to the aqua duck and pretty much walked on, there was a teenaged girl ahead of me with her 2 siblings so we rode together. This was my first time on the aquaduck and I think it's something that all cruisers should try to experience, so much so I probably won't book another cruise until it looks like my kids meet or are projected to meet the height requirements.

Afterwards, I went back to the stateroom, got DH and the kids ready -and along with our friends made our way to CC.

I was so happy that were were able to dock, I had read that Jan was the month it failed to dock the most. So I planned it in my head like it was going to be a bonus if we were successful.

We disembarked and took a group picture.

Then walked instead of talking the tram.

We searched for a bit but were finally able to find some loungers and chairs close enough for us to put together- not to mention they were near by plenty of free hammocks.

I had brought some sand toys from home since I had no intention of paying a bunch of money for a Disney themed one. The kids headed out to the water with their dads while us moms hung back and relaxed in our loungers.

The server we had was extra sweet and in addition to bringing us adult beverages, visited the soda fountain for us (instead of having to pay for canned drinks) and even brought the kids ice cream for surprise.

Us moms ended up going to Cookies first while the kids stayed and played by the water with their dads. Other than the ribs, I really didn't care for most of the food.

After we made our way back to find our DH's and the kids but they weren't there. We found them in Cookies- pretty much where we were sitting before.

After lunch we strolled the Island a bit then went back to our places on the beach. We discovered the beach toys the kids left by the water were missing....not that it really mattered since, we were heading back to the ship. I actually gave the view things we had left away.

Once back on the ship we headed to the pool deck, since it would be one of the only chances we had to enjoy the pool as a family. I knew from the boards that sea day would be brutal- and I wanted no part of that.

The kids had a blast in the pool with my friends girls who took good care of them- granted we were right there too- just with our toes in the water. DH and I also got a chance to ride the aqua duck again.

Before long, it was time to head back to the room to shower and get ready for dinner and the pirate show.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

We got in to our pirate gear- and as mentioned in my Pre-trip report we spent a fortune. My girlfriend kept commenting that people would probably think we were part of the show

We then made our way to the d-lounge to meet Captain Jack. We were the first ones there which was good because by the end there was quiet a line up.

I have to say the CM who plays him is just incredible. It could have very well been Johnny Depp and I never noticed.

While we were waiting for Captain Jack, I started handing out some extra glow sticks I had. It was a nice chance to meet other cruisers and probably enforced my friends comment that people would think I worked here.

This picture is just of the kids- for some reason my daughter thinks it's funny to stick her tongue out in pictures. It's super annoying and I hope this phase is sort lived.

This is us with our friends girls

We then headed to Mickey's pirate party. Not wanting to fight the crowds we just stood to the side and put the kids on some of the tables that they kept towels in.

I guess my youngest looked so cute a lady ask my DH if she could take her picture. My youngest was only too happy to oblige and put on her cutest face.

I handed out some more glow sticks to random kids- and I really enjoyed it. Some of the little ones were too shy to say thank you but their parents did.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

On the way in to Royal Palace, we stopped by for another photo op. in front of the stairs.

We then made our way into the restaurant and were seated. Our table was in a pretty nice location but I have to be honest when saying when we got to our table, we noticed where our servers dropped the ball. Granted, it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things and certainly not formal complaint worthy- it's just one of those things I noticed that lacked based on reading other people's experiences on the DIS boards.

The drinks at the table for the kids was still water and not the drinks they ordered from the first night (we missed night 2) nor were there the booster seats we asked for on night 1. Part of the reason I feel they have the kids drinks ready is because they can be a bit impatient so listening to my kid ask 'where is my drink, what is taking so long' was kind of annoying...and it does seem like drinks take MUCH longer to arrive in an MDR than a traditional restaurant on land. Also, we had to ask again for booster seats for our two girls, again in the middle of dinner if cause a kerfuffle to get a little kid up and out their seat, then in again. (it wasn't until the breakfast of the last morning that we arrived to have the seats in place).

I had the mustered rubbed steak which was okay..but given I had Remy the night before I think my tastes buds were aimed a little too high.

After dinner we headed to deck 12. Honestly, I think it's much better up top than in the thick of the crowd where the little ones have a hard time seeing the show.

We were on the port side near the stage- and I saw someone with an incredible costume. It was kind of scary looking but was able to engage little ones without making them cry- my 2 year old gave him a high 5.
Before long I realized he was actually one of the CM's and part of the show.

It was cool to be so close to the action.

Now this is where my tale takes a twist...little ones who can read...stop here...those of you who are adults- I have never read anything like this in any TR so brace yourselves.

My friends hubby points out to us this woman and maybe her mother(?) who somehow managed to push their way to the starboard side of the stage. They were kind of standing in the area that is kept clear for CM's near the stage. Everyone in that area was sitting down- but here they were armed with a video recorder. I also suspected they cut in front but I didn't actually see it). Tommi said that someone must have asked her to move, but she was being obnoxious and said "screw that" or something to that effect.

We watched her stand in the way of literally 100's if not a 1000's of people and ignore the requests for her to move. Finally we saw a mom with a toddler in her arms make her way to an officer and explained the situation.

He first approached the older woman, who was clearly giving him resistance but finally she moved. Then he starts talking to the lady with the camera who started to loose her mind...after some VERY animated back and forth she starts to leave...

Well the crowd started cheering- even us on deck 12....

Then IT happened.

She proceeds to give the entire audience the finger...yes...the middle one.

I couldn't beleive it. I might have expected something of that caliber on a Bad Girls Club booze cruise but DCL?

I actually wish I had the presence of mind to record it or take a picture, because I would have plastered it all over this site or on FB. If anyone has it...please PM me.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

here are some extra pics of us at dinner on Pirate Night

And the last...my oldest reminds me of John Rambo in this pic..