May 24th 2012 3 night Dream cruise!!!

[jjbtt125]

As a long time lurker, thought I would drop in and say hi! We will be joining you on the dream cruise - our first cruise followed by a week at WDW .

we are also following our cruies with a week stay at animal kingdom lodge

 

[zweihund]

We are back from our "practice trip" on the Dream - it was awesome! Those of you who have cruised the Magic and the Wonder will be happy to know the Dream has the same overall feel....but it is very confusing getting around when you're not used to it! The halls are totally different and of course what's on deck 6 on the Wonder ISN'T on deck 6 on the Dream. By the time we debarked this morning we mostly had it down.

Overall impression of the Dream is - it's BIG. Like, really big. When we pulled into Castaway Cay, I had to peer over the railing to see the snorkel lagoon (we were waaaay far forward, and he backed the ship so we pretty much had a view of the ocean and the rock jetty lol)! I liked the new stuff, and the adult areas are really awesome. The skyline bar was incredible. Aqua duck was very fun. The new hot tub design is super cool. Rooms were nice, REMY WAS AMAZING. There were hidden Remys everywhere!

Things I didn't like? Cabanas, the Dream version of Beach Blanket Buffet. The setup confused most people, who treated it like a line instead of different food stations. Also, you can't get to the aft stairs on deck 11 without going through it, which always felt strange when it was closed. I also didn't like the new horn. The old one sounded like a horn, but this one sounds like a synthesizer. And I was a little surprised at how tiny the Cove Cafe was, until my husband reminded me that it's about the size of the original Cove on the older boats before all of the renovations.

Very excited for this next cruise. We did not take our 2.5 year old on this one, so she's coming in May. I can't wait to show her Nemo's reef! It looked so cool. And there were so many neat touches in the kids' clubs and nursery.

Good times ahead!

 

[kimpossible]

We are back from our "practice trip" on the Dream - it was awesome! Those of you who have cruised the Magic and the Wonder will be happy to know the Dream has the same overall feel....but it is very confusing getting around when you're not used to it! The halls are totally different and of course what's on deck 6 on the Wonder ISN'T on deck 6 on the Dream. By the time we debarked this morning we mostly had it down.

Overall impression of the Dream is - it's BIG. Like, really big. When we pulled into Castaway Cay, I had to peer over the railing to see the snorkel lagoon (we were waaaay far forward, and he backed the ship so we pretty much had a view of the ocean and the rock jetty lol)! I liked the new stuff, and the adult areas are really awesome. The skyline bar was incredible. Aqua duck was very fun. The new hot tub design is super cool. Rooms were nice, REMY WAS AMAZING. There were hidden Remys everywhere!

Things I didn't like? Cabanas, the Dream version of Beach Blanket Buffet. The setup confused most people, who treated it like a line instead of different food stations. Also, you can't get to the aft stairs on deck 11 without going through it, which always felt strange when it was closed. I also didn't like the new horn. The old one sounded like a horn, but this one sounds like a synthesizer. And I was a little surprised at how tiny the Cove Cafe was, until my husband reminded me that it's about the size of the original Cove on the older boats before all of the renovations.

Very excited for this next cruise. We did not take our 2.5 year old on this one, so she's coming in May. I can't wait to show her Nemo's reef! It looked so cool. And there were so many neat touches in the kids' clubs and nursery.

Good times ahead!

So glad you had a good time. Any special tips for those of us sailing without the kiddos? Must do's? We have a Palo and a Remy scheduled (although we are considering canceling it).

Thanks...not long now.

 

[jjbtt125]

Hi! We will be on this cruise also. DH and I (both 40) DD (19 this Saturday!) DS (12) and DD (5). We had debated doing a longer cruise but have only cruised once as a couple and that was 15 years ago on the "Big Red Boat" which it turns out was not so big So we decided to give this cruise a try and will be doing 3 days at Universal after the cruise. My older kids voted to do US/IOA rather than WDW since they have not yet done the Harry Potter thing there. We will be going to WDW in October anyway, doing the YES program for the younger 2 and if all goes well this trip, we may try to squeeze in another cruise!

Oh, and DH and I are surprising the kids with this trip. They get out of school Wed, the 24th and we will pick them up and head out. I am trying to think of things to tell them we are doing and then surprise them on Thursday by driving up to the port. They know we are doing US/IOA this summer but aren't sure of the date so I don't know whether to tell them that is what we are doing and then surprise them with the cruise first or let the whole thing be a surprise!

Also, I would love to hear from other moms of kids of "Edge" age that will be on this trip. I am worried that DS will not want to participate without a friend. I guess he can go to the younger kids club also, but with his 5 year old sister there he may not be too thrilled (as someone already mentioned-he may feel like he is babysitting!)

Are most people on early or late dining? We are late-probably since we booked so late but I actually prefer it and we dine late as it is. Is anyone planning on doing any excursions or specific activities? I am going to post some questions on the main board also to try to get some input since we are total newbs but I would love to hear some input from people that will be on the same cruise with us!

I'm not a mom but we have a 12 yr old son who will also be by himself he hasn't expressed any concerns about being on his own but time will tell. We are scheduled for late meals and have Palo res for Saturday night

 

[kimpossible]

I'm not a mom but we have a 12 yr old son who will also be by himself he hasn't expressed any concerns about being on his own but time will tell. We are scheduled for late meals and have Palo res for Saturday night

We have Palo for 7 on Sat night, too.

 

[jjbtt125]

We have Palo for 7 on Sat night, too.

ours is at 830. We are very excited' i just hope its not the night in our rotation for animators pallet i really want to experience it

 

[zweihund]

So glad you had a good time. Any special tips for those of us sailing without the kiddos? Must do's? We have a Palo and a Remy scheduled (although we are considering canceling it).

Thanks...not long now.

I will say, the adult areas are more expansive and the adult pool is much nicer than it looked in the photos! Most of the front of the boat is very quiet. Go on the Aquaduck while we're in Nassau - very few kids in the line at that time. We walked right on! We spent tons of time in the hot tub but not much in the pool (it was very VERY rainy and windy the whole time). The Cove Cafe is very quiet and lovely, and the outlook lounge is apparently often open but also usually empty - nice view from there! I think that's what it was called. It's on deck 14 - only the midship elevators go there.

Every time we were on deck 4 it was totally empty - and the lounge chairs are still the best ever!

Have a drink at Skyline - it has a very retro men's club feel, very nice and no cheesy lounge acts. The club is ok...I'm not much of a club person. Pink looked neat but we never actually had a drink in there. And we also never made it to the sport bar but it looked pretty nice! Bingo was fun, the art gallery is great and usually pretty quiet. Shutters, despite the new folder system, was still always chaotic when open.

We didn't hit Palo, but we did go to Remy and it was wonderful. Lovely and relaxing, every seat is an ocean view. We shared a wine pairing. They say they don't split them, but they don't mind if you share. The "Collette" was amazing! Champagne, pear vodka, and fresh peach, raspberry and mint. I could drink one every day. I drank two that night! I think it was worth the price if you like that sort of dining. If you're not a slow multi-course meal person then you might not enjoy it as much.

We'll definitely do Palo this time! Looking forward to it. Oh, and the meridian bar between the two is very very nice (and secluded! No wandering children at all!)

Feel free to ask me anything more specific. We explored most of the boat but there was just not enough time to do everything.

 

[kimpossible]

I will say, the adult areas are more expansive and the adult pool is much nicer than it looked in the photos! Most of the front of the boat is very quiet. Go on the Aquaduck while we're in Nassau - very few kids in the line at that time. We walked right on! We spent tons of time in the hot tub but not much in the pool (it was very VERY rainy and windy the whole time). The Cove Cafe is very quiet and lovely, and the outlook lounge is apparently often open but also usually empty - nice view from there! I think that's what it was called. It's on deck 14 - only the midship elevators go there.

Every time we were on deck 4 it was totally empty - and the lounge chairs are still the best ever!

Have a drink at Skyline - it has a very retro men's club feel, very nice and no cheesy lounge acts. The club is ok...I'm not much of a club person. Pink looked neat but we never actually had a drink in there. And we also never made it to the sport bar but it looked pretty nice! Bingo was fun, the art gallery is great and usually pretty quiet. Shutters, despite the new folder system, was still always chaotic when open.

We didn't hit Palo, but we did go to Remy and it was wonderful. Lovely and relaxing, every seat is an ocean view. We shared a wine pairing. They say they don't split them, but they don't mind if you share. The "Collette" was amazing! Champagne, pear vodka, and fresh peach, raspberry and mint. I could drink one every day. I drank two that night! I think it was worth the price if you like that sort of dining. If you're not a slow multi-course meal person then you might not enjoy it as much.

We'll definitely do Palo this time! Looking forward to it. Oh, and the meridian bar between the two is very very nice (and secluded! No wandering children at all!)

Feel free to ask me anything more specific. We explored most of the boat but there was just not enough time to do everything.

I hear ya about not enough time. For that reason, I'm thinking of skipping Remy to allow more time to explore. We are planning on spending the day at the Hilton in Nassau, and on the beach at Castaway Cay. That s not going to leave much time to enjoy the ship.

Thanks for your suggestions...Skyline sounds great.

 

[CaseyLynn]

I was wondering if anyone is doing FE on the May 24th sailing. We did it on our last DCL cruise and had a blast. We have a group of 4 cabins (total of 5 adults and 5 kids) and would love to participate if anyone has set up a FE group. The kids in our group are Catherine -14, Taryn-11, Audrey-10, Isa-10, and Kelan-9.

What is an FE? Sorry, I am new to this page and dont know all the lingo just yet. Also I have kids so I was wondering what it was just in case my kids wanted to do it too.

We will be on the May 24th cruise.

 

[ssjones]

This will be my husband and daughters (7 and 9) first cruise. This is my first Disney Cruise. We are boarding after a 6 night stay at the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge. Hope we aren't too tired from Disney to enjoy the boat!! We are on the 10th deck. I don't have the number in front of me. Looking forward to it!!

Any suggestions or things NOT to miss?? We did manage to get in on the Dolphin Encounter at Nassau. Planning on surprising our girls with that one!!

 

[zweihund]

This will be my husband and daughters (7 and 9) first cruise. This is my first Disney Cruise. We are boarding after a 6 night stay at the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge. Hope we aren't too tired from Disney to enjoy the boat!! We are on the 10th deck. I don't have the number in front of me. Looking forward to it!!

Any suggestions or things NOT to miss?? We did manage to get in on the Dolphin Encounter at Nassau. Planning on surprising our girls with that one!!

It's hard to say what not to miss....but for me, I always always ALWAYS go to the sailaway party and the pirate party (because it's a hoot). I also always have a sailaway drink, and a konk kooler when we get to Castaway Cay. Otherwise I just enjoy the boat!

I will say, if you haven't been on the ship before, the detective agency thing on deck 5 is a really fun way to explore it. I'd do that too. It's free!

 

[asimaaliyah]

It's hard to say what not to miss....but for me, I always always ALWAYS go to the sailaway party and the pirate party (because it's a hoot). I also always have a sailaway drink, and a konk kooler when we get to Castaway Cay. Otherwise I just enjoy the boat!

I will say, if you haven't been on the ship before, the detective agency thing on deck 5 is a really fun way to explore it. I'd do that too. It's free!

I'm sailing with my sister, her family and my mom who have both been on cruises in the past. My mom went on her first cruise in July on a Carnival party ship and my sister went on a cruise several years ago. This will be a second cruise for both of them. My mom is certain we won't get to do everything as it's only 3 days and my sister is trying not to miss anything. I like your idea of doing the detective agency thing with my youngest. She likes that kind of stuff and the "free" part is a big plus.

Am I the only one that's already packed and ready to go this soon?

 

[kimpossible]

I'm sailing with my sister, her family and my mom who have both been on cruises in the past. My mom went on her first cruise in July on a Carnival party ship and my sister went on a cruise several years ago. This will be a second cruise for both of them. My mom is certain we won't get to do everything as it's only 3 days and my sister is trying not to miss anything. I like your idea of doing the detective agency thing with my youngest. She likes that kind of stuff and the "free" part is a big plus.

Am I the only one that's already packed and ready to go this soon?

Nope I am almost packed. I have not included thehe things that will wrinkle, yet.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I've subscribed to this thread but I don't think I ever posted so I guess I should officially say hello. This will be our first cruise so I figured what better way to dip our toes into the cruising water than by going on a Disney cruise. My husband, son (turning 15 on May 24th) and I will be staying at Port Orleans Riverside the night before the cruise, setting sail on the Dream and then heading over to Caribbean Beach Resort for six days. I am countin' down the days!

I've started a pre-trip report and I've been told that it's a pretty funny read. I'd love to have ya'll come on over and join in on my planning fun. And, if you have any tips for us first timers, I'd love for you to post 'em.

 

[AmandaRG]

We sail in 3 weeks!!!!

There is no way to do everything, but finding those things that you really want to do is easy. We have done a 7-night and a 4-night, and will be on another 4-night just before this leg. That is part of the reason for our 4/3 back to back...to be able to experience more without missing out on other things. We will do rotational dining during the 4-night, but are doing Remy and Palo both for dinner on this one!

Can't wait to see everyone onboard! It is going to be amazing!

 

[CaseyLynn]

I just realized how truly close it is until the cruise. I AM BEYOND EXCITED! I cant wait to share such a fun experience with our kids.

Anyone know anything geared to the little little ones (Almost 3, and a 13 month old. Both boys)

 

[Myth-USA]

Anybody called to find out what movies will be playing?

 

[CaseyLynn]

I called earlier, let's see if I can remember them all.

The Avengers, The Muppets, Cars 2, The Help, John Carter, Real Steel, Chimpanzee

 

[amyhuffman]

FE stands for fish extenders. It is a "game" similar to a secret Santa program. You hang a "fish extender" which is a collection bag of sorts from your fish mail holder outside your cabin and then other people in your FE group leave you little presents during your cruise. You do the same for the other families. you try to deliver the gifts without being seen. Then when you come back to your cabin you find little surprises from fellow cruisers. We did this in Alaska last summer and had a blast. Unfortunately, I haven't run across anything showing that anyone is doing FE on this cruise. If anyone is interested, let us know and we could try to get a small group started. Also, you can buy your FE on eBay, but making one is a lot of fun.

 

[CaseyLynn]

FE stands for fish extenders. It is a "game" similar to a secret Santa program. You hang a "fish extender" which is a collection bag of sorts from your fish mail holder outside your cabin and then other people in your FE group leave you little presents during your cruise. You do the same for the other families. you try to deliver the gifts without being seen. Then when you come back to your cabin you find little surprises from fellow cruisers. We did this in Alaska last summer and had a blast. Unfortunately, I haven't run across anything showing that anyone is doing FE on this cruise. If anyone is interested, let us know and we could try to get a small group started. Also, you can buy your FE on eBay, but making one is a lot of fun.

That sounds like a lot of fun! What kind of gifts are typically given? Do you buy the gifts on the cruise or bring them with you. How do we know the ages of the kids in the families? Sorry so many questions. I would love to do this!




Ok, I started a thread about it. Maybe it will get peoples attention and people will sign up