iloveeeyore
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2003
- Messages
- 3,787
Hi Dis friends! Hubby and I just disembarked from the Dream on Saturday 4/29. It was an unusual 7 night sailing to the Eastern Caribbean.
We are so sad to be back and are trying to get back into the swing of things. I am going to post a full trip report on the DCL TR board, where I hope to give many details and photos. For now, I just wanted to share some thoughts in case I can be of any immediate help to anyone. Overall we had an amazing time!
Embarkation in Miami was not bad. I know DCL is not going to be there any more, but people lined up nicely, and a gentleman came down the down calling out times. We had 11:30 PAT but were called to enter the building before 10:55.
The ship is gorgeous, well laid-out, and in amazing shape!! It is spotless with everything in working order; we wouldn't have guessed her age and number of previous voyages.
Entertainment was great. There was live music everywhere. Cruise Director Lee and Adult Entertainment Coordinator Chris were top-notch. Our "headliners" in the Walt Disney Theater were 1-Ventriloquist/Comedian Taylor Mason, 2-Golden Mickeys, 3-Magician Eric Jones, 4-Pirate Night activities on deck, not theater, 5-Juggler Ivan Skinfill, 6-Beauty and the Beast, 7- Disney's Believe. We skipped the Juggler but enjoyed the rest of the headliners and all were wonderful. The Disney productions were magical. There were so many current movies in the Buena Vista Theater and Funnel Vision. Peter Pan and Wendy premiered on Friday and many show times were offered in multiple venues.
Cabanas - it was great (but crowded, though we never had to wait for a table) for breakfast and embarkation lunch. We had our unlimited Mickey Waffles and crab claws, etc. I can't comment on any other lunches, because we didn't even try to get another lunch in there. We either had brunch or chose pool deck Tow Mater's and/or Luigi's. We did sneak in on Pirate Night to see if the buffet had come back, but alas, it had not.
Pool Deck food - the sandwiches seemed yucky and stale, the pizza edible...not as good as I remember. Burgers were fine, but french fries and chicken fingers were as hot, crispy and delicious as ever! Eye Scream - my only complaint is that they served banana/strawberry as the secondary flavors every single day...was hoping for more variety. Vanilla is my jam anyway, so I didn't really mind, but I was wishing for some mango, which never appeared.
Dining rooms - We had late seating, which was our preference. We were paired with 2 other couples around our age, one from Pennsylvania and another from California. We really enjoyed all 4 of our table mates, and though I am a little shy, I wouldn't request our own table, because we tend find our people this way. The other adults on DCL , they make great friends! Our service team was amazing!! They were working their butts off and didn't miss a beat. I guess we really won the server lottery on this one, as I have heard many others complain about bad servers on our sailing.
The quality of the food was honestly also hit or miss. We had lamb many times and it was perfect! But the Beef Wellington (this was on the new menu for the crew) was terrible! In fact, most of the beef dishes were tender but lacked taste. Everything needed just a bit more seasoning. We found most of the dishes in the dining rooms to be fine to good. Some items were very good. There are still some stand-outs, like the Gran Marnier souffle at Royal Palace. It's fair to say that the food just didn't measure up to our memory or expectations. I am coming to believe that this is an industry-wide issue, as I'm hearing from friends and message boards that food is getting worse on many cruise lines. But we have have come to expect better from DCL.
Beverage Tastings - we did 3, Champagne, Martini and Bourbon. They were fun, delicious and I'd say a decent value. The hosts were friendly, entertaining and knowledgeable. The prices have gone up, though, as they have everywhere. There was a time when the beverage tastings were a great value, but those times are gone. We have decided we won't book any tastings next time. We will just order the pours or cocktails we know want for a fraction of the cost. BTW, cocktails are decently priced on DCL, the beer mug is a good deal, there are happy hours everywhere.
Specialty Dining - We enjoyed brunch at both Remy and Palo. We added one champagne pairing to Remy and shared it because pricing was way high. Service and food at both were wonderful! That said, they were lengthy meals and took time away from other activities, so we will probably not do these on our next cruise, either.
Spa- We splurged for the Couple's Choice at the Spa. Our hosts gave us the upcharge menu right at the beginning and we politely said we did not intend to spend a penny more, and that was the end of that discussion. No hard upsell. We'd do this again in a heartbeat. What a treat!
The weather was MAGNIFICENT!! We had breathtakingly perfect weather for 2 days in Miami and 7 days on the cruise. I can't think of any other 9 day stretch of such perfectness in my 56 years. I'll admit the sunny weather and blue skies might play some role in the warm, fond memories and overall feelings about this cruise.
Ports - We booked DCL excursions in Tortola and St. Thomas and don't regret it. We like the security provided by a guide and the guarantee to make it back to the ship. At Castaway Cay, we enjoyed a day of lounging and swimming at Serenity Bay. Simply gorgeous. The food was good, best burger of the week, delicious well-seasoned steak, ribs as great as remembered. Everything else was fine.
CROWDS - We were told the Dream was sailing at 98% capacity and the ship was sooooo crowded!!! (Disney+ Promotion) We could not find deck chairs except in the adult area on deck 13 at almost any time. We arrived at the pirate deck party 30 minutes early and could not find an unobstructed view. We were awakened a few nights by kids running up and down the hall screaming and banging on doors.
Disembarkation - Sad. Also chaotic. Chaotic on the ship and after exiting the terminal. Customs was quick. We waited 40 minutes for a Lyft to save a few bucks over the taxi. The taxi line wasn't bad, actually, I recommend doing that instead. Also the Miami airport is a nightmare. Lines to get through security were 75 minutes by the time we got there. Unless you have a later flight, I recommend walking your stuff off the ship as soon as permitted and get yourself to that crazy airport ASAP to guarantee you make your flight.
We bought a Placeholder, but unsure if/when we will use it. Would love to try the Wonder soon, but we've done Alaska and are uninspired by the other itineraries and discouraged by the prices. Maybe a combined west coast/Disneyland vacation lies ahead? We have a Celebrity cruise upcoming soon and look forward to comparisons.
Please let me know if you have any questions, and join me on my detailed TR that I will start soon! Hope to see you there!
We are so sad to be back and are trying to get back into the swing of things. I am going to post a full trip report on the DCL TR board, where I hope to give many details and photos. For now, I just wanted to share some thoughts in case I can be of any immediate help to anyone. Overall we had an amazing time!
Embarkation in Miami was not bad. I know DCL is not going to be there any more, but people lined up nicely, and a gentleman came down the down calling out times. We had 11:30 PAT but were called to enter the building before 10:55.
The ship is gorgeous, well laid-out, and in amazing shape!! It is spotless with everything in working order; we wouldn't have guessed her age and number of previous voyages.
Entertainment was great. There was live music everywhere. Cruise Director Lee and Adult Entertainment Coordinator Chris were top-notch. Our "headliners" in the Walt Disney Theater were 1-Ventriloquist/Comedian Taylor Mason, 2-Golden Mickeys, 3-Magician Eric Jones, 4-Pirate Night activities on deck, not theater, 5-Juggler Ivan Skinfill, 6-Beauty and the Beast, 7- Disney's Believe. We skipped the Juggler but enjoyed the rest of the headliners and all were wonderful. The Disney productions were magical. There were so many current movies in the Buena Vista Theater and Funnel Vision. Peter Pan and Wendy premiered on Friday and many show times were offered in multiple venues.
Cabanas - it was great (but crowded, though we never had to wait for a table) for breakfast and embarkation lunch. We had our unlimited Mickey Waffles and crab claws, etc. I can't comment on any other lunches, because we didn't even try to get another lunch in there. We either had brunch or chose pool deck Tow Mater's and/or Luigi's. We did sneak in on Pirate Night to see if the buffet had come back, but alas, it had not.
Pool Deck food - the sandwiches seemed yucky and stale, the pizza edible...not as good as I remember. Burgers were fine, but french fries and chicken fingers were as hot, crispy and delicious as ever! Eye Scream - my only complaint is that they served banana/strawberry as the secondary flavors every single day...was hoping for more variety. Vanilla is my jam anyway, so I didn't really mind, but I was wishing for some mango, which never appeared.
Dining rooms - We had late seating, which was our preference. We were paired with 2 other couples around our age, one from Pennsylvania and another from California. We really enjoyed all 4 of our table mates, and though I am a little shy, I wouldn't request our own table, because we tend find our people this way. The other adults on DCL , they make great friends! Our service team was amazing!! They were working their butts off and didn't miss a beat. I guess we really won the server lottery on this one, as I have heard many others complain about bad servers on our sailing.
The quality of the food was honestly also hit or miss. We had lamb many times and it was perfect! But the Beef Wellington (this was on the new menu for the crew) was terrible! In fact, most of the beef dishes were tender but lacked taste. Everything needed just a bit more seasoning. We found most of the dishes in the dining rooms to be fine to good. Some items were very good. There are still some stand-outs, like the Gran Marnier souffle at Royal Palace. It's fair to say that the food just didn't measure up to our memory or expectations. I am coming to believe that this is an industry-wide issue, as I'm hearing from friends and message boards that food is getting worse on many cruise lines. But we have have come to expect better from DCL.
Beverage Tastings - we did 3, Champagne, Martini and Bourbon. They were fun, delicious and I'd say a decent value. The hosts were friendly, entertaining and knowledgeable. The prices have gone up, though, as they have everywhere. There was a time when the beverage tastings were a great value, but those times are gone. We have decided we won't book any tastings next time. We will just order the pours or cocktails we know want for a fraction of the cost. BTW, cocktails are decently priced on DCL, the beer mug is a good deal, there are happy hours everywhere.
Specialty Dining - We enjoyed brunch at both Remy and Palo. We added one champagne pairing to Remy and shared it because pricing was way high. Service and food at both were wonderful! That said, they were lengthy meals and took time away from other activities, so we will probably not do these on our next cruise, either.
Spa- We splurged for the Couple's Choice at the Spa. Our hosts gave us the upcharge menu right at the beginning and we politely said we did not intend to spend a penny more, and that was the end of that discussion. No hard upsell. We'd do this again in a heartbeat. What a treat!
The weather was MAGNIFICENT!! We had breathtakingly perfect weather for 2 days in Miami and 7 days on the cruise. I can't think of any other 9 day stretch of such perfectness in my 56 years. I'll admit the sunny weather and blue skies might play some role in the warm, fond memories and overall feelings about this cruise.
Ports - We booked DCL excursions in Tortola and St. Thomas and don't regret it. We like the security provided by a guide and the guarantee to make it back to the ship. At Castaway Cay, we enjoyed a day of lounging and swimming at Serenity Bay. Simply gorgeous. The food was good, best burger of the week, delicious well-seasoned steak, ribs as great as remembered. Everything else was fine.
CROWDS - We were told the Dream was sailing at 98% capacity and the ship was sooooo crowded!!! (Disney+ Promotion) We could not find deck chairs except in the adult area on deck 13 at almost any time. We arrived at the pirate deck party 30 minutes early and could not find an unobstructed view. We were awakened a few nights by kids running up and down the hall screaming and banging on doors.
Disembarkation - Sad. Also chaotic. Chaotic on the ship and after exiting the terminal. Customs was quick. We waited 40 minutes for a Lyft to save a few bucks over the taxi. The taxi line wasn't bad, actually, I recommend doing that instead. Also the Miami airport is a nightmare. Lines to get through security were 75 minutes by the time we got there. Unless you have a later flight, I recommend walking your stuff off the ship as soon as permitted and get yourself to that crazy airport ASAP to guarantee you make your flight.
We bought a Placeholder, but unsure if/when we will use it. Would love to try the Wonder soon, but we've done Alaska and are uninspired by the other itineraries and discouraged by the prices. Maybe a combined west coast/Disneyland vacation lies ahead? We have a Celebrity cruise upcoming soon and look forward to comparisons.
Please let me know if you have any questions, and join me on my detailed TR that I will start soon! Hope to see you there!
