Just off the Dream - some observations

[sues14]

Thank you for your TR I have so many concerns as we have gotten about 8 different families to book braging about the Disney difference I don't want anyone to feel that they are spending all there money and not getting what they pay for. I agree about pirate night as we are at the late dinner and still want to see the show. Why would they have two shows and still not cover the the late dinner seating doesn't make sense! I also love quiet cove and want to spend time there, but Disney will have to find a way to keep kids out of the area or they can forget about trying to bring in cruisers with no children. This is something they advertise on and also how we got some single people to book!

My dh and I were on the NCL Epic and they had improv and dueling pianos they rotated the shows and that was great for us 40 year olds they had a mystery lunch too that we enjoyed. when we were on the magic they never had anyone playing the piano and that was a huge miss with sooooo many Disney classics. I know that they did on my sisters cruise but it was missed on ours. Please Disney listen it's not the kids who pay for the cruises so appeal to us as well as our children!

 

[minniemoms]

Good TR. Thanks for posting

 

[woody73]

My dh and I were on the NCL Epic and they had . . . dueling pianos

DCL used to have dueling pianos. I miss them.

Woody

 

[disneyholic family]

Do you think this was because you were on a 4-night as oppose to a 7-night or longer? I don't have much experience with the shorter cruises but have always enjoyed the extra entertainment on the longer cruises. Never thought I would cross the street to see a magician or hypnotist but enjoyed both their shows on the big stage and their shows in the night clubs. Is there a piano bar like on the classics? Do they have any shows other then the DJ at night? Thanks for your report and for answering my questions.

we've only been on shorter cruises on the Wonder - there are always organized activities in the adult clubs - 70's night, dueling pianos, whatever...
i am very disappointed to hear there isn't anything on the dream..

for me, that's a big part of what i enjoy on the ship...

 

[mickeymom923]

I was on the Dream right after the maiden voyage. I thought the ship was elegant. Yes, our dining servers were slow, but hey, they were new and really trying. We had late dining at 830 and on pirate night we were given our desert menus at 1015. We left to see the pirate show but thought we missed alot of it so can't really judge it. I did love the pirate show with Mickey zip lining across the stage on the Magic/Wonder. The is no promenade area on the Dream. My biggest complaint is the timing of the dinner and "Match you Mate". Match you Mate was at 745. Having late dinner, we had the show regular show at 7 so could not make Match you Mate. For people with early seating at 630, they also could not make the 745 show. Again, on the Magic/Wonder, I enjoyed having early dining, then the show at 830 then going to the adult area to the "Adult Shows" or games like "Match Your Mate"; Magic/Wonder Quest; etc etc. I'm not a drinker so there wasn't too much to do at night on the Dream without going into the shops (which I love doing) or sitting in the District Lounge. I had a great time and probably shouldn't compare ships but I do hope Disney will bring back the "Adult Shows" later in the evening. Or I wish I could have stayed in the teen area. Ahhh, to be a teen on Disney would be awesome.

 

[tinker1bell]

Two questions for you...

I heard that there was a cigar bar,,,I am not a smoker (get migraines from the smell) but if I can get hubby to do a cruise that would be the reason to sell him on it. (I just call him Grumpy and I cruise with my BFF.)
Did you check it out and did the smell seem to be everywhere or just stay right there?

Also, I do love, love the looks of the beautiful bed. My question is did you hear any complaints coming from friends cruising that they had thought the bed was going to separate and were disappointed it did not and who was then going to sleep on the split sofa? It is a big concern for me since my BFF and I want to cruise on the Fantasy but I don't want to have to flip a coin to see who gets the bed and who gets the sofa. That thing was so hard and at my age, ain't no way I am gonna climb up that little ladder.

please don't flame me,,,this is an honest question and concern

 

[mickeymom923]

One of the things that I noticed was that on my sailing, there were hardly anyone smoking. I know there is a sports bar (687) but I didn't get to check it out. I slept great on the cruise with the new beds etc. Yes, the beds DO NOT separate. I was part of the Travel Agents on the ship and some of the TA's shared the bed with no problems. Some decided that to be fair, one of them took the bed for two nights then they switched and that person then took the sofa bed. I would've loved the DREAM to be more than 4 nights.

 

[MaidenJane]

Thanks for the TR. I was on the maiden voyage as well and enjoyed the cruise and the ship. The ship is beautiful! My issues were with the rude "shoppers"'in the stores. This was out of Disneys control and the CM's in the stores did a great job under the circumstances. They were definitely challenged!!

 

[tigger2on]

DCL also "lost" a number of newbie CMs who came back with the ship during the TA. They realized the hard way that they did NOT have sea legs. One of our friends was one of them and was devastated... luckily, she is going to be accomodated at WDW instead as she was going to be working in retail.

 

[LuvEeyore]

Thanks forthe trip report

 

[Dyerneeds]

Great report. we also consider the Magic our Home Ship but are anxious to sail the Fantasy next year.

 

[mousemamma]

Thank you. That was great information.

We also just got off a 4-night on the Dream. We were on the February 20th sailing.

The most exciting news is that we ran into Captain Henry Andersson (Captain of the Wonder) onboard our cruise. He was telling me that he would be taking over as the Captain of the Dream as of February 27th. Since we was not the captain of our particular sailing he was able to see how the ship was being run from a pax perspective.

I am a mom of a child with multiple food allergies and I have to say that I was blown away by the service of our dining staff. Hands down the best service I have every had in any restaurant. They were always planning three meals ahead for us so the dining experience would be seamless and we wouldn't have to wait for "special" food to be prepared. Even on Castaway Cay. The night before they asked what our son would like to eat on Castaway Cay. Sure enough, when we lined up with our trays, Ivo was there with a plate in hand for our son.

The technology on the ship was extraordinary. The kids club was amazing. Both of our children begged to go back immediately after breakfast. Unlike the Wonder and Magic, the Oceaneer Club and Lab are connected on the Dream allowing the children to roam back and forth. Both of our children loved that they had a choice to participate in different games, etc rather than being forced to join in on the Wonder.

Some things that need a little work.....
The biggest drawback was that the ship was obscenely overcrowded. The pools are way too small. All you could see were heads in both the Donald and Mickey pools they were so packed. (and this was the Nassau Day).
The day at sea there were not enough chairs for everyone. You had people bringing chairs from outside Cabanas to the adult pool just to sit.
I believe this is something that they are working on. Captain Henry had mentioned that this won't happen again. We were on the ship school vacation week and the ship was at max capacity. Perhaps a little capacity control.

The Aqua Duck usually has a 45 minute wait but is a lot of fun. We were disappointed that three days after we got off the ship they reduced the height requirement from 48 to 42 inches. We still haven't broken the news to our 5-year old!

We also heard that they are learning from the Dream on changes for the Fantasy. Our breakfast server mentioned that Palo will not be underneath the basketball court as it is on the Dream!

Overall, a wonderful trip.

 

[poohj80]

Sure enough, when we lined up with our trays, Ivo was there with a plate in hand for our son.

We had Ivo on our last Wonder cruise and he was great with our DD. Good to hear we may be seeing him again! May I ask who he was working with or who the head server was? Wondering if the whole crew transfered to the Dream. Thanks!

 

[CrozB4]

Thanks for the TR. Love reading about everyone's perspective and take on the Dream! We go for our first family cruise on it in June, can't wait!

 

[iluvdisney]

Just got off the Dream on March 3rd and can honestly say that I don't want to go back on that ship too soon - just didn't have much of the Disney Magic feel to me. I have sailed 20 times on Disney and much prefer the feeling of the smaller ships. They have a lot of kinks to work out on the Dream - a big positive was our stateroom host - he was wonderful and so good with my grandkids. Our server seemed so flustered every night and it did not make for a good dining experience. The assistant server was wonderful and seemed to be alert to more of our needs than our server. The head server was good as well. The dining rooms are nice but I did not appreciate being stuck into a room on the side so we could not see the main dining room or experience it - that was the Royal Palace room - the Enchanted Garden was a nice dining experience but kudos go to the Animators Palate - my grandkids really enjoyed that room and made for a fun family dining experience. Palo also got rave reviews from my family. The CMs I encountered onboard are either way overloaded with responsibilities or just don't enjoy their jobs and make it a fun experience for us as a family. There were a few positives but I definitely have to reread my notes so I can find them. Unfortunately, more negatives than positives on this cruise for me and I'm hoping by the time I want to go on the Dream again, that they have done a lot of tweeking and that I will feel the Disney Magic when onboard.
I had plans of giving my family a cruise to help me celebrate my big birthday in 2012 but am rethinking my plans

 

[aiken4mickey]

I too just returned last week from The Dream. The ship is BEAUTIFUL! Our stateroom very chic...Palo seemed more elegant......3 main dinning rooms were an experience...love all the details! Loved having more shops. Cabanas...I had no problem with it...worked well for us when we went...I'm not a fan of buffet eating. Aquaduck was alot of fun! My children are 11...they really enjoyed being in the "tween" club. Loved seeing a few familiar faces from The Wonder.

Some things that...well, I said to myself ???

*Boarding...I arrived at port early..checked in and got boarding #4..I was traveling with my two 11 yr olds...my sister in law and her 2 young boys...they checked in at the same time and got #3. This concerned me because as a "group" we would not boarding together for pics. Maybe with a comment this could have been fixed...BUT, I felt like Disney should have some way to see our reservation is linked and we're checking in at the same time...why didn't we get the same #? Well, boarding number called....By the time you get to this point the terminal is FULL!!!! People with high boarding #'S I'm guessing have no where to go so they are blocking the area to board...and aren't moving...and it took us a while to realize they were moving..so, we had to push our way towards the gate...which was very stressful when trying to keep up with 2 children who look nervous because you're fighting a sea of people...plus pulling a rolling suitcase...plus trying to stay close to my sister in law...by the time we got to the gate...I could see that my DD was feeling emotional due to the stress of making our way through the crowd...although, no tears...I could see it was taking it's toll....Looking back this seemed so unnecessary...I am VERY SURE Disney is working on a plan to fix this...how to handle so many more people....Well, the boarding pics....I ended up cutting...to get to my sister in law...it wasn't to many people...and again, it just seemed like would should have been able to stay/board together.

Sailaway Party...the magic of hearing the horn blow and confetti is at the top of magical moments!!!!! BUT, for the second time...my last cruise was Nov 09..there was NO CONFETTI? Maybe there is a reason? But, I miss it!!

Speaking of confetti....I also missed it at The Golden Mickey's AND they replaced the "Till We Meet Again" small confetti with larger..didn't like it so much.

Jack Sparrow? I can't believe he didn't/doesn't make an appearance!!!! What is pirate night with JS?? Our Pirate Party was cancelled due to audio problems...but, I do believe I read JS isn't out doing pics anyway...We need Jack back!

Sadly, our Castaway Cay Day was a no go due to winds...I understand these things can't be helped...The upside was my parasailing $ went to rebook....AND, I had always wondered what a day at sea was like....so, it worked out......

I LOVED THE DREAM!! It felt like "Home". Looking forward to going back!

 

[loveysbydesign]

So have they changed the 2 sailaway parties on the Dream back to one??? And if so what time is it at?

 

[loveysbydesign]

I too just returned last week from The Dream. The ship is BEAUTIFUL! Our stateroom very chic...Palo seemed more elegant......3 main dinning rooms were an experience...love all the details! Loved having more shops. Cabanas...I had no problem with it...worked well for us when we went...I'm not a fan of buffet eating. Aquaduck was alot of fun! My children are 11...they really enjoyed being in the "tween" club. Loved seeing a few familiar faces from The Wonder.

Some things that...well, I said to myself ???

*Boarding...I arrived at port early..checked in and got boarding #4..I was traveling with my two 11 yr olds...my sister in law and her 2 young boys...they checked in at the same time and got #3. This concerned me because as a "group" we would not boarding together for pics. Maybe with a comment this could have been fixed...BUT, I felt like Disney should have some way to see our reservation is linked and we're checking in at the same time...why didn't we get the same #? Well, boarding number called....By the time you get to this point the terminal is FULL!!!! People with high boarding #'S I'm guessing have no where to go so they are blocking the area to board...and aren't moving...and it took us a while to realize they were moving..so, we had to push our way towards the gate...which was very stressful when trying to keep up with 2 children who look nervous because you're fighting a sea of people...plus pulling a rolling suitcase...plus trying to stay close to my sister in law...by the time we got to the gate...I could see that my DD was feeling emotional due to the stress of making our way through the crowd...although, no tears...I could see it was taking it's toll....Looking back this seemed so unnecessary...I am VERY SURE Disney is working on a plan to fix this...how to handle so many more people....Well, the boarding pics....I ended up cutting...to get to my sister in law...it wasn't to many people...and again, it just seemed like would should have been able to stay/board together.

Sailaway Party...the magic of hearing the horn blow and confetti is at the top of magical moments!!!!! BUT, for the second time...my last cruise was Nov 09..there was NO CONFETTI? Maybe there is a reason? But, I miss it!!

Speaking of confetti....I also missed it at The Golden Mickey's AND they replaced the "Till We Meet Again" small confetti with larger..didn't like it so much.

Jack Sparrow? I can't believe he didn't/doesn't make an appearance!!!! What is pirate night with JS?? Our Pirate Party was cancelled due to audio problems...but, I do believe I read JS isn't out doing pics anyway...We need Jack back!

Sadly, our Castaway Cay Day was a no go due to winds...I understand these things can't be helped...The upside was my parasailing $ went to rebook....AND, I had always wondered what a day at sea was like....so, it worked out......

I LOVED THE DREAM!! It felt like "Home". Looking forward to going back!

May I ask what types of activities your kids enjoyed in the Tween area? My son will be 12 and he has said he might like to be in the lab/club with his 2 younger siblings, but maybe if he finds out what the tweens do he'll want to be in that group instead.

 

[aiken4mickey]

May I ask what types of activities your kids enjoyed in the Tween area? My son will be 12 and he has said he might like to be in the lab/club with his 2 younger siblings, but maybe if he finds out what the tweens do he'll want to be in that group instead.

My daughter did a scavenger hunt..made buttons...played some games. My son LOVES computers and anything sports related..not sure excatly what he did...They both made friends and a couple of times said...I'm suppose to be back at the club to meet ??. I loved the wave phones...my daughter kept one (I don't trust my son) and this allowed her to call me and check in...I guess I've reached the point in my life where I can now move over to the adult side and RELAX...this is something I realized at the end of the trip looking back...I've got 4 children my twins are the youngest..and I am so use to watching/keeping up with someone closely...that each day I kept waiting to be needed during the day...and really....they were enjoying The Edge and never needed me.