POST YOUR DISNEY DREAM TIPS/MUST do'S!

[Francisca64]

Hello all,
Now that there have been several sailings of the newest ship do you "Dreamers" have any specific tips related to the new ship? We "yet-to-be-Dreamers" would sure love to learn from your experience!!

Many thanks!!

 

[Francisca64]

Does no one out there have any tips for those of us who have yet to go on Dreams?

Help?

 

[ppiew]

don't arrive at port (if driving) until 11-11:30. otherwise the lines are looooong for everything! i know no one wants to hear that but it is true. moves MUCH fast after 12 noon!

 

[mdinowitz]

Either get there really early to be one of the first people on board (ahead of the crowd) or later after the big morning rush. Waiting outside the port earlier (around 9:00 AM ) allowed us no line at guest services, lunch at an empty cabanas, and a few rides on the aquaduck with no line at all before everyone boarding behind us caught up. We felt like we had an extra afternoon on the ship!

Go to the mid ship elevators on deck 5 for a family picture in front of the BEAUTIFUL chandelier (just grab someone getting off the elevators to snap the shot)

Wait until Castaway Cay to have ice cream. The stuff on the ship isn't as good (except for the hard ice cream at cabanas)

Get to the theatre early on sea day if you want a seat to see a movie.

Have fun. It's a beautiful HUGE ship and the staff is wonderful.

 

[Francisca64]

Thanks for the tips...

Anymore out there?

 

[msbiscuit]

Don't let the size of the ship overwhelm you - once you figure out your routine and the places you visit most frequently, it's not bad at all!

Bring your own hairdryer - otherwise, quite honestly, you can stand out on deck when the ship's underway and dry your hair faster than the provided hairdryer!

Remember you can enter both theaters on 2 different decks - it could save you time when looking for seats!

If you're an early riser and like your coffee, visit Cove Cafe for a latte (or whatever) and a tiny pastry, then hit Cabanas when the buffet opens for 'second breakfast'!

 

[Brancaneve]

Subbing!!

 

[babypinkbunny]

Bring a watch with you. There are not any clocks around. I am so used to using my cell phone for the time that I did not bring a watch. We didn't need to use the wave phone as we were always together but we did carry it for the time.

Make sure you do the detective thing. It was really cute. We did it on the sea day.

Allow for time at the dinners. They do take 1-2 hours. They are not fast bringing you drinks, but they do give ou water fairly quickly. We did have a hard time sitting for such a long time, but enjoyed ourselves.

I hope you have a wonderfu trip!

 

[TexasDreamer]

Take any of the unused hangers out of the closet. The first night we heard some strange rattling noise and took us a little time to figure out that it was the wooden hangers rattling in the closets.

Its a great ship! You'll have lots of fun!

 

[telephoneman66]

bump

 

[disneyluvnmom]

Either get there really early to be one of the first people on board (ahead of the crowd) or later after the big morning rush. Waiting outside the port earlier (around 9:00 AM ) allowed us no line at guest services, lunch at an empty cabanas, and a few rides on the aquaduck with no line at all before everyone boarding behind us caught up. We felt like we had an extra afternoon on the ship!

Go to the mid ship elevators on deck 5 for a family picture in front of the BEAUTIFUL chandelier (just grab someone getting off the elevators to snap the shot)

Wait until Castaway Cay to have ice cream. The stuff on the ship isn't as good (except for the hard ice cream at cabanas)

Get to the theatre early on sea day if you want a seat to see a movie.

Have fun. It's a beautiful HUGE ship and the staff is wonderful.

What if you have a late "check-in time"? Will they still let you board early? It's our first cruise so I'm afraid when we are able to do online check in at 75 days we will get a late check in time.

 

[Tinkerbellcrafter]

don't arrive at port (if driving) until 11-11:30. otherwise the lines are looooong for everything! i know no one wants to hear that but it is true. moves MUCH fast after 12 noon!

This is good to know...Thank you. We sailed on the wonder for the first time last Sept and were amazed at the empty terminal at around 1pm. although lines to get into parking etc were long during that time....

 

[hrarcham]

Pick up a map at Guest Services. I can't tell you how many "wrong" turns we took trying to find places. You can not walk front to back on all decks.

Visit the promenade deck ( I think it was 4). It is a quiet spot to enjoy the breeze and beauty. There's some neat little cozy spots. It's a great place to relax and read. It's also a nice place to walk... especially if your little one likes to be pushed in their stroller to be lulled to sleep.

Join your FE group. It is a neat way to become familiar with the decks and even the magic artwork. Our kids loved all the neat surprises they got everyday. It was a real treat!

 

[Terri2007]

When you get to your room, make sure both wave phones are charged or put in charger. We used ours a lot and loved it.

If your TV freezes (ours did on 3 occasions) unplug the router from the wall and plug bag in. This allows the TV to "reboot" (router reconnects to the server) and your TV works again.

Rebook your cruise on Day 1.

I echo many of the recommendations given above.

Best.

 

[mdinowitz]

About the check in time on your paperwork- I called DCL prior to ask about it, and I was told that they just want an idea of when people are going to be arriving in order to control staffing and crowds. Noone ever looked at our time on our sheet at the port. I don't know if this will change in the future or not, but it was the case on the 20th.

Another bit of advice- If you have DVC points (even if you didn't book with them) stop by the open house for at least a few minutes, they were handing out cute baseball caps, lanyards, and champagne.

 

[TexasDreamer]

For a good view of the fireworks, go to the Family Area on deck 12 near the Quiet Cove. A CM recommended it to us and it was not very crowded and had a great view of the fireworks. Plus there are the nice brown wicker-type chairs to sit in while waiting.

On a side note, while we were sitting there, enjoying an adult beverage and waiting, we had a good view into the Edge. There were a lot of kids in there and all of them were engaged in a fun game of some kind. Applause, to anyone who can get that many tweens excited and engaged in something.

 

[fijidoc]

love this thread so far. Been on 2 cruises on Wonder in past and having info ahead of time really helped. going on first cruise on dream later this month.

Love the information. keep it coming!!

 

[rosiep]

Bring your own hairdryer - otherwise, quite honestly, you can stand out on deck when the ship's underway and dry your hair faster than the provided hairdryer!

I second this, I have fairly short hair and thought the dryer was laughable: 250 watts!!!!

 

[edk35]

I second this, I have fairly short hair and thought the dryer was laughable: 250 watts!!!!

250 watts? I would be in there blow drying my hair foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

 

[Francisca64]

Thank you all for continuing this post. I have been on many Disney cruises but I know that the new class of ships will offer their own unique challenges and opportunities and wanted to get the best advice and hints out there...all from our lovely DIS'ers.

Did you feel the larger crowds?
How were the crowds at breakfast and lunch, espcially on Cabanas?
Would you eat in the restaurant below decks or Cabanas for your first boarding lunch?
Were there plenty of seats ourside at Cabanas?
Do you like the open deck between the family & Mickey pools?
Is there enough seating there?
Any reviews of the Quiet Cove? I've heard a few poor reviews.
1) Do you like the new pool configuration?
2) Is there enough sun with the new set up?
3)Any problem getting chairs?
4)Is it quiet enough for adults?
5) Are there too many kids plowing through?
What is your favorite feature of Dreams?
What is your least favorite feature?

Thanks you again!!