Pixie dust on our DREAM vacation! Update 06/08 TR finished!!

[Time4disney]

Hey Karin! I just came across your trip report..........I can't wait to relive the "Dream" portion of the trip through your report.

 

[Kim1964]

That is one huge ship! I am enjoying the report.....can't wait til you get on board.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

What a great morning so far - and it's getting even better!!!

SO exciting

Heather

 

[dizneeat]

Hey Karin! I just came across your trip report..........I can't wait to relive the "Dream" portion of the trip through your report.

Hi Sherrie!
Glad to have you along here! Didn't we all have a wonderful time on the DREAM?

That is one huge ship! I am enjoying the report.....can't wait til you get on board.

Yes, she is a huge ship, but so beautiful, inside and out!
Glad you enjoy the report ... it's fun to relive it!

What a great morning so far - and it's getting even better!!!

SO exciting

Heather

The day started out really nice and how can it not get better if you are heading to the DREAM?

 

[Disney9.9.10]

The first glimpse of the boat is always so exciting! When we took our first DCL cruise my brother was just 2 years old and he was so excited when he saw the boat he said "Oh look! It's Mickey's Magic Water!" it was adorable.

 

[eandesmom]

what a nice start to the morning! I am all for e-receipts personally, love that. Very fun about the turkeys, we definitely didn't see any when we stayed in the cabins back in 2009 but I have a huge soft spot for the Fort and those turkeys just seem to suit it as otherwise I just don't sit there and go Florida = Turkeys! I have seen deer and we did see a bobcat last spring.

Breakfast looks yummy, even yummier is that first sight of the Dream!

 

[annmarieda]

Breakfast looks amazing. thinking I might want to add it to my fall "to do" list

The photos of the ship in dock are amazing!!! I bet it was an exciting sight.

 

[dizneeat]

The first glimpse of the boat is always so exciting! When we took our first DCL cruise my brother was just 2 years old and he was so excited when he saw the boat he said "Oh look! It's Mickey's Magic Water!" it was adorable.

That's a cute story!
Seeing the ship sitting in the harbour from afar is one of the best sights! I just love coming closer and the anticipation just builds up!
When we took our first trip, a rainstorm started about 15 minutes before we hit Port Canaveral. It was so bad, not even the GPS worked any more. We could not see any signs or exits and just went on. We only realized that we were WRONG when we were nearly at Jetty Park!
I guess we were "searching" for the ship for about 20 minutes! I was ready to just go back to WDW and not go on a cruise.
When we finally made it to the Wonder and got on ....

what a nice start to the morning! I am all for e-receipts personally, love that. Very fun about the turkeys, we definitely didn't see any when we stayed in the cabins back in 2009 but I have a huge soft spot for the Fort and those turkeys just seem to suit it as otherwise I just don't sit there and go Florida = Turkeys! I have seen deer and we did see a bobcat last spring.

Breakfast looks yummy, even yummier is that first sight of the Dream!

It was a beautiful first morning!
Actually I love the e-receipt too, it was just something new to us and I was not sure if we needed to check out or not!
From now on I will not have to dig through a thick folder of receipts when I need to check something on a resort bill!

Breakfast at WPE is a tradition for us before the cruise. We are even planning on having breakfast there at the beginning of our summer vacation, before we hit the road to Key West!

And any sight of a Disney ship is a wonderful sight! Makes my heart skip a beat and puts a HUGE smile on my face!

Breakfast looks amazing. thinking I might want to add it to my fall "to do" list

The photos of the ship in dock are amazing!!! I bet it was an exciting sight.

Ann, if you haven't tried breakfast at WPE yet, you definitely should. The pizza is amazing and they have a wonderful cornflakes crusted French toast - but we warned - the portion is HUGE!

We both were so happy to see the DREAM again! It's funny how you can fall in love with a ship.

 

[Linda67]

Karin, I am going to start a campaign for you and Tom to have your own personal table at WPE
I am sure more people have visited following your reviews than any marketing push WPE could create

 

[jecskc]

We leave in 26 more days !!! I cannot WAIT !!!

 

[dizneeat]

Karin, I am going to start a campaign for you and Tom to have your own personal table at WPE
I am sure more people have visited following your reviews than any marketing push WPE could create

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
A personal table would be nice! Could you make it one that does NOT wobble!
Well, what can I say, we are very proud of our fellow countryman, Wolfgang, and we Austrians stick together, so we need to help boost his business!

We leave in 26 more days !!! I cannot WAIT !!!

I am SO jealous!!!!!!!!!!! I wish we could go again in 26 days! Make it 135 more and it's our turn again!

You are going to LOVE it ..... I really hope you do a trip report and let us all know about your magical experience!

 

[ajf1007]

WOW! I was only off the boards for a few days and I missed two updates! I was surprised about your check in at Poly, but glad you had a nice overnight anyway. Its always alittle disappointing when you expect something and get something else. But, that being said, you guys have such a great attitude, always looking at the brighter side.

I completely agree with a PP, I am definitely checking out WPE for breakfast on our trip in Sept. That pizza looks amazing!

Oh how exciting! You've gotten to the ship, I CAN'T wait for the next update. As i said earlier, we are planning a 15 year anniversary trip in Oct 2014 so I'm really trying to learn as much as I can about the DCL and get as many pointers and tips as I can. I'm not sure whether to book through a TA or just do it myself on line. I have time though to figure that out, plus they haven't even released dates for 2014 yet so I am probably jumping the gun WAY too soon!

My BFF and I took a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas last year and had a blast, it wasn't DCL though - but it was my first cruise ever - needless to say I'm hooked now. My DH had no desire to take a cruise and now that he's decided to do it, he says he'll only do it if it's DCL. DCL or nothing were his words, like I'd argue with that!

 

[KatMark]

Sorry Poly didn't wow you (I have to admit BLT did not wow Andy when he was there...but everyone likes something different which is a good thing).

Your breakfast looks yummy. I agree with a PP who said you should have your own table there.

 

[marvali]

We love to do FEs! And we wanted a FE that pointed towards our home country. So the Lederhosen and Dirndlkleid seemed just right!

Thanks to reading along and learning with Magdalene and Katharina I knew how well the Lederhosen and Dirndlkleid fit the two of you! So Cool!

Love all the updates! The food on the plane looks a lot better than any I've had, except maybe the one time I was able to fly First Class from NC to California!

I enjoyed seeing the rooms at the Poly! I really want to stay there one day! Sorry you didn't have an impressive experience though! And that Pulled Pork looked wonderful!

Nice getting to see the turkeys, and the view of the Dream as you drove up is super! One day I hope to take a very special trip on one of the DCL!!!

 

[disneychic]

Just found your TR and I'm loving reading it!!! Can't wait to read more!

 

[LuvEeyore]

Love the picture of the turkeys...looks like our backyard some spring, summer and early falls. What we like is watching the parents trying to teach their young to fly, walk,etc!!

 

[dizneeat]

WOW! I was only off the boards for a few days and I missed two updates! I was surprised about your check in at Poly, but glad you had a nice overnight anyway. Its always alittle disappointing when you expect something and get something else. But, that being said, you guys have such a great attitude, always looking at the brighter side.

I was surprised at the Poly check in too .... not very magical, but they made up for it with the room choice.

I completely agree with a PP, I am definitely checking out WPE for breakfast on our trip in Sept. That pizza looks amazing!

WPE is a great place for breakfast! The pizza and pocket are heavenly, but they have such yummy omelets as well! Not to forget that the sweet dishes are awesome!

Oh how exciting! You've gotten to the ship, I CAN'T wait for the next update. As i said earlier, we are planning a 15 year anniversary trip in Oct 2014 so I'm really trying to learn as much as I can about the DCL and get as many pointers and tips as I can. I'm not sure whether to book through a TA or just do it myself on line. I have time though to figure that out, plus they haven't even released dates for 2014 yet so I am probably jumping the gun WAY too soon!!

If you have any questions about DCL just feel free to ask. I am sure if I cannot answer your question some knowledgeable will come forward and do it for me!
As for the TA - we used one for our first cruise (US TA from Washington State) and I was not very happy with her. I told her what we wanted for a stateroom, she got wrong side of the ship, didn't want to send me my documents, (had to have a hissy fit to receive them, as she thought they were not necessary, just download from internet) and since she sailed with us, she didn't care about us a bit. Guess she regretted big time, as we have taken 6 more cruises in the last two years, and we like to stay high up and in a Family Stateroom with veranda. After that first time we never used a TA again.
So, while I cannot recommend my first TA, maybe Jennifer can help you out (jenseib). She is a TA and I bet she is a very good one.

My BFF and I took a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas last year and had a blast, it wasn't DCL though - but it was my first cruise ever - needless to say I'm hooked now. My DH had no desire to take a cruise and now that he's decided to do it, he says he'll only do it if it's DCL. DCL or nothing were his words, like I'd argue with that!

Your DH has his priorities right .... it's either Disney (who ARE the best in my book) or nothing!

Sorry Poly didn't wow you (I have to admit BLT did not wow Andy when he was there...but everyone likes something different which is a good thing).

Your breakfast looks yummy. I agree with a PP who said you should have your own table there.

Kathy, while Poly just didn't wow us, there are others who didn't like it at all!
I guess BLT isn't for everyone. It feels more like a condominium, than a hotel, and that was what we enjoyed so much! Having a home, not a hotel room. We enjoyed the light and modern feel to it. And the members only lounge was an added bonus!
We will definitely go back - I am already trying to "arrange" my points!

Thanks to reading along and learning with Magdalene and Katharina I knew how well the Lederhosen and Dirndlkleid fit the two of you! So Cool!

Love all the updates! The food on the plane looks a lot better than any I've had, except maybe the one time I was able to fly First Class from NC to California!

I enjoyed seeing the rooms at the Poly! I really want to stay there one day! Sorry you didn't have an impressive experience though! And that Pulled Pork looked wonderful!

Nice getting to see the turkeys, and the view of the Dream as you drove up is super! One day I hope to take a very special trip on one of the DCL!!!

I know, Lufthansa is still one of the airlines, who caters pretty well in Economy class. And it's the only airline that will fly us out of our tiny little hometown airport!

We are both happy we tried the Poly. It's just not for us. The rooms are a bit on the dark side and somehow it all looked a bit dated to us, even though they are newly renovated.
The pulled pork ....

You really should give DCL a try. It's an awesome experience to sail on one of their ships! The service is just unbelieveable. Disney does something terribly right with these ships!

 

[dizneeat]

Just found your TR and I'm loving reading it!!! Can't wait to read more!

Welcome!
I am glad to have you along for the "cruise"!

Lots more to come!

Love the picture of the turkeys...looks like our backyard some spring, summer and early falls. What we like is watching the parents trying to teach their young to fly, walk,etc!!

It's awesome that you get to watch turkeys in your backyard. No such thing here!
But it was really cool seeing them there next to the busy road.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 2, February 19


"You are BACK!!!!" - Part 3

It didn’t take long and we got to the exit and soon we were driving up to the ship.
We were directed towards an area right next to the ship where porters were waiting to collect our luggage. We got out, handed over our three bags and tipped the porter. He then told us where to park our car, so we got back in again and drove over to the new parking structure.
We thought about parking on the ground level, but most of the spots were taken so we drove higher up. While we were still discussing on where to park we noticed that there was a walkway over to the terminal building.
That’s where we were going to park, nothing better than saving a few steps. So we parked the car, shoved the purple box with the rest of our belongings into the boot of the car and off we went.
Right at the entrance to the walkway we had to show our passports and were asked for our stateroom number.
Not everyone seems to know it by heart as well as we did, as they were pretty impressed at how fast we both replied. Finally we got to cross the walkway, enjoy a nice sight of the DREAM and then just joined the line that had formed in front of the security check.
The security people were very friendly and we soon had passed the check and walked over to the terminal.

There we were pointed towards a desk right at the front, where we had to fill out our health forms and then, after a quick look at the lines we decided to head to the Non US resident check in counter.
To be honest I love that we are Castaway Club members, but looking at the line there, we happily got in the other line. There were NO people in line and we just walked up to a very nice and friendly Cast Member, who checked us in, handed us our stateroom keys and new gold lanyards and told us that our boarding group had already been announced and we were welcome to just walk on board.
So we made our way over to the Mickey shaped entrance and were officially signed up on board,

then got in line for the first photo op which we skipped. We walked over the gangway and soon were announced on board the ship.

One of the Cast Members there asked if we knew our way around and told us that lunch was served at Cabanas and we were invited to go there right away.
So, I am not a huge fan of Cabanas and asked if the Enchanted Garden was open as well, but was told that wait times would be considerably longer. Well, I rather wait a longer time and have someone serve me drinks, than eating lukewarm lunch, so we walked down to the restaurant.
On deck 2 another Cast Member told us that they had a lot of guests and wanted to send us up to Cabanas, telling us that the variety there was even more than down here.
I think by then I was done with being sent somewhere else, as I told the poor guy that I’d rather not eat at all than at Cabanas, which he just could not understand.
But he took us to the check-in desk, pointed towards the line for the buffet and told us it would be at least 45 minutes, (which it wasn’t – more like 5 minutes) and then assigned us a table.
I was happy I had gotten what I wanted when we turned a corner and I could hear someone scream,


“You are back!”



To be continued ..........

 

[awtigger]

Subbing......cant wait for the next update..