It was a DREAM come true! 1st DCL Cruise 09.11.2011 *UPDATED 10/09 W/ PICS*

[soul_power]

One word to describe the cruise: amazing.

I came back on the 18th from an unforgettable cruise onboard the Dream (09/11 sailing) and a fun trip to WDW, so I'm slowly but surely getting around to writing my trip report. Between trying to remember all of the details and sorting through almost 2000 pictures, it's definitely a work in progress. Bear with me - it's on its way!

To sum it all up, DBF and I had soo much fun, and we did not want to get off of the ship when it was all over. We have no kids and thought that Disney did an excellent job at catering to adults and ensuring that we had a fun and memorable time as well. We had fun relaxing and getting to know our fellow cruisers in Quiet Cove, spent a lot of money on Bingo (and would've had more fun if we won ), seriously considered joining DVC, became Aquaduck addicts, and found heaven at Serenity Bay.

I'll go into more detail about everything below. Thanks for reading!

 

[soul_power]

Index (these will all be links to posts eventually)

Flight to/arrival in Orlando, dinner at the CityWalk
Day 1, Part 1: DCL transfer and arrival at the cruise terminal
Day 1, Part 2: Dream embarkation
Day 2: Nassau, Bahamas
Day 3: Castaway Cay
Day 4: Day at Sea

 

[ibouncetoo]

Eagerly awaiting your report!

.

 

[dsnygirl2006]

Can't wait to read your trip report We sail out on the Dream on Oct 9th

 

[iloverags2]

Looking forward to reading all about our cruise!

 

[soul_power]

The night before we left, I could not sleep at all! I know it was the excitement keeping me up, and even if I kept telling myself, 'Go to sleep! Tomorrow will be here sooner!' I just couldn't. It was that and the fact that DBF was packing the night before we left! I have been dating this man for for almost 7 1/2 years, but there are still things I don't understand about him.

I eventually dozed off and a few short hours later, my alarm was going off and disrupting my sleep. Let me tell you - I've never been so happy to see 5:30am in MY LIFE! It was vacation time! The trip we've been planning for almost a year was finally here!! At 6:30am, we were out the door and on the way to my best friend's house (about 40 minutes away from us and 10 minutes away from San Francisco International Airport, where we'd be flying out of). She drove us to the airport and kept DBF's car for the week. Score!

Once we were at the airport, check-in was a breeze, as was security (surprisingly). All that was left was to play the waiting game at our gate.

Our plane is here!

About five hours later (gotta love non-stop flights), we were clear across the country and flying over Orlando

It was almost 7pm when we arrived in Orlando. After collecting our luggage, we went to the Alamo counter to pick up our rental for the night. We flew in the night before the cruise to avoid any chaos, and I'm so glad that we did! The line at Alamo was a bit long, but we eventually got our paperwork and were directed to go "out those doors, across the street, and to the left." We did just that and once we showed the "across the street" Alamo rep. our paperwork, we were instructed to "walk down that aisle and pick any car." We were confused. When we rented cars in the past, we were randomly assigned a car, but this time we were allowed to pick our car! I was excited! Granted, we chose the cheapest car category so it's not like we were getting into a Maserati or anything, but it was an exciting moment for us. For a rate of $18, I was not complaining! We ended up choosing this as our "ride" for the night:

Kia Soul! The hamsters in the commercial sold me on it.

From the airport, we checked into the hotel we'd be staying at for the night (Fairfield Inn Orlando Airport), dropped off our stuff, found a liquor store to purchase our "adult beverages," and then headed here for dinner:

NBA City at the CityWalk! I knew DBF would love it, so I made us a reservation here. Right when we walked in, there was a store selling different types of merchandise to the right and games to the left.

We walked through this tunnel to our table. It was a nice touch!

He had the Chicken Blue Cheese Pasta, and I had herb chicken.

We liked our food, but it wasn't the best meal of our life or anything. After dinner, we walked around some more, took some more pictures, and then headed in for the night. Can I just say that I love that there's a Bob Marley restaurant? I had no idea that the CityWalk had such a big "night life." So many people were in line for the different bars. I wish DBF and I were more prepared for that kind of night! Who am I kidding? We had to get some sleep! We had a ship to board the next day!

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

I can't wait to hear more

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

We were on the 9/11 sailing too! Looking forward to your trip report.

 

[Joanna71985]

Following along! Can't wait to read more

 

[nikkistevej]

Can't wait to see the rest!!!

 

[soul_power]

The big day finally arrived!

We reserved the DCL transfer from MCO, and I wanted to make sure we were on the first bus to get to the port as early as possible. We arrived at MCO around 8am, said goodbye to our cute little Kia Soul, and approached the counter to find no line!

It only took a few minutes to check-in and get our Mickey boarding pass (the first bus - SUCCESS!), boarding group #3 card for the ship, and Keys to the World. We went outside and checked in our luggage, and then it was time to play the waiting game. Being September 11, there was a moment of silence in the airport, which I really appreciated. I was watching the live stream of the ceremony on my phone.

DBF counted all of our "money"..

At 9:00am, we lined up to make our way toward the bus.

At 9:30am, we were on our way! I loved being completely immersed in Disney from the beginning. The videos on the ship, Disney cartoons, and trivia made it all feel very real.

A little under an hour later, we caught our first glimpse of the beautiful Dream!

Around 10:30am, we arrived at the terminal. Although there are cheaper alternatives to get to the port, we really loved the convenience of the DCL transfer and would do it again in a heartbeat. We loved being able to check in at the airport and not have anything else to worry about. It was all very easy and care-free. That's a big reason why I love Disney vacations!

It pays to be among the first at the terminal! We didn't have much to do since we already handled everything at the airport, but we were able to explore the cruise terminal and all it had to offer.

We went out to the viewing deck and got our first up-close encounter with the Dream. I was in awe! What a beautiful ship! Pictures don't do her justice!

Next up.. Boarding!

 

[HermanTriplets+1]

GREAT START
And very cool 'doo on the DBF, gotta love a Disney Lover with a mohawk
Looking forward to the rest!

 

[bellesBFF]

definitely joining in!

 

[disney-a-holic]

I am in for the journey!!!
My husband and I would love to do a cruise so I am interested to see how you guys got on!!!

A great start

 

[Pinkocto]

Greetings! Hope it's ok I'm joining the fun of this TR I love the excitement you guys have, it's absolutely infectious! I'm getting excited for mine again, have been doing the waiting game rather impatiently

 

[ArielRae]

Been a while anymore to your report?