Sept 10th Disney Dream Review

[denny33142]

I just came back from my Sept10 - Sept 13th cruise aboard the Disney Dream, It was just me and my wife (No Kids), I took a previous Disney Cruise in 2016 (Disney Magic) with a similar itinerary so i feel i can compare them pretty closely.

I had posted another thread a month ago about my worries of how the pandemic would effect the cruise experience and if anything would be lacking as a result, I can now say that some areas were better than expected but unfortunately on some other areas my fears were realized.

The best thing about the cruise: The ship was not crowded and we went everywhere without doing a line even once
The worst thing about the cruise: The restrictions were a bit over the top


Pros:

1.) The ship was not crowded at all, I would say maybe 1/3 capacity or even less, This was amazing because it felt more exclusive
2.) Virtually no lines or queues for anything
3.) The service was excellent and better than my previous DCL, They looked fully staffed but with 1/3 of the passengers so they were able to take more time with each guest, A lot of attention to detail.
4.) Castaway Cay felt less crowded, There were even sections in the second half of the island that were completely empty
5.) No lines to get our food in Castaway Cay


Cons:

1.) Masks required everywhere indoors, Even in the Theater if you were drinking soda you had to put your mask back up after each sip, ridiculous if you ask me.
2.) No Sail Away Party.
3.) No pirate night party and the fireworks looked much less impressive, Maybe only 2 minutes worth of fireworks.
4.) Only 1 broadway show (Beauty and the beast), Our previous DCL cruise had 3
5.) No popcorn in the movie theater
6.) You need to be 3 seats apart from each party in the theater, So if you have a large party it might be an issue finding enough seats together


Neutral:

1.) You cannot serve yourself anymore, Everything is served by a Cast Member, Including the fountain drinks and the ice cream.


Overall i would say the experience was good, but definitely not worth the price we paid, We paid full price but got 1/3 of the broadway shows and a toned down fireworks show and no Sail Away party. I will be booking with DCL again but will wait until the pandemic related restrictions are removed or at least toned down.

 

[Bmbptn]

Hi! Could you tell me which night everything was? Like which night(s) were Beauty and the Beast, which night was fireworks and which night was Halloween? Thanks!

 

[pktflack]

I was on this sailing as well. I think price paid probably does color how you feel about the cruise. We got a terrific deal and felt like the service was Concierge level because of how few people were onboard. All the CMs seemed very happy to have guests back. I had never sailed on the Dream, but had sailed twice on the Wonder and once on the Magic. I didn't mind not being allowed to serve myself. They will fill your personal beverage container, so that kept me hydrated and required less return visits. I also used room service for coffee and tea in the ealy morning. I've never used the ice cream area before, because, frankly, all the kids using it without supervision seemed kind of gross to me. So I appreciate a CM providing that service. The Beauty and the Beast musical was fantastic and I saw two movies that I truly enjoyed. It being such a short cruise, I ddin't feel the loss of activities (like towel folding and other such entertainment). The Making of the Dream on embarkation day was only attended by my sister and myself, so probably most people just wanted to relax, not keep busy, like you might on a longer cruise.. I didn't mind the restrictions either, tho, we didn't go to any of the bars, or things like bingo or trivia, so maybe those filled up fast. I don't mind being reminded to use hand sanitizer nor the increased distance between tables in the MDRs, because I know that it means everyone is using hand sanitzer and I don't have to listen to someone else's dinner conversation. On a Castaway Cay tram, the operator wouldn't move until a family put on masks. He kept repeating that it is recommended that guests wear masks on the tram, 3 times without pulling away, until they finally got the message and fished thru their bags and put on masks. I appreciate a polite passive/agressive response to unsocial behavior.

Hi! Could you tell me which night everything was? Like which night(s) were Beauty and the Beast, which night was fireworks and which night was Halloween? Thanks!

Beauty and the Beast had two showings on the first and last night of the cruise.
On the second night they had a Nightmare before Christmas sing-a-long.
Fireworks were on the second night.
There as a Mousequerade Party on the last night (twice) up on Deck 11 but not sure there was a storytelling by the tree. I doubt it because of social distance restrictions. Also, didn't see any trick or treating.

 

[Juan M]

I know you mentioned no kids, but did you happen to overhear or see anything on board about Oceaneer Kids Club/Lab rules? I am trying to figure out what the process may be for our cruise in November, whether its a limited amount of time per day or not.

Thanks!

 

[TheBigErn]

I just came back from my Sept10 - Sept 13th cruise aboard the Disney Dream, It was just me and my wife (No Kids), I took a previous Disney Cruise in 2016 (Disney Magic) with a similar itinerary so i feel i can compare them pretty closely.

I had posted another thread a month ago about my worries of how the pandemic would effect the cruise experience and if anything would be lacking as a result, I can now say that some areas were better than expected but unfortunately on some other areas my fears were realized.

The best thing about the cruise: The ship was not crowded and we went everywhere without doing a line even once
The worst thing about the cruise: The restrictions were a bit over the top


Pros:

1.) The ship was not crowded at all, I would say maybe 1/3 capacity or even less, This was amazing because it felt more exclusive
2.) Virtually no lines or queues for anything
3.) The service was excellent and better than my previous DCL, They looked fully staffed but with 1/3 of the passengers so they were able to take more time with each guest, A lot of attention to detail.
4.) Castaway Cay felt less crowded, There were even sections in the second half of the island that were completely empty
5.) No lines to get our food in Castaway Cay


Cons:

1.) Masks required everywhere indoors, Even in the Theater if you were drinking soda you had to put your mask back up after each sip, ridiculous if you ask me.
2.) No Sail Away Party.
3.) No pirate night party and the fireworks looked much less impressive, Maybe only 2 minutes worth of fireworks.
4.) Only 1 broadway show (Beauty and the beast), Our previous DCL cruise had 3
5.) No popcorn in the movie theater
6.) You need to be 3 seats apart from each party in the theater, So if you have a large party it might be an issue finding enough seats together


Neutral:

1.) You cannot serve yourself anymore, Everything is served by a Cast Member, Including the fountain drinks and the ice cream.


Overall i would say the experience was good, but definitely not worth the price we paid, We paid full price but got 1/3 of the broadway shows and a toned down fireworks show and no Sail Away party. I will be booking with DCL again but will wait until the pandemic related restrictions are removed or at least toned down.

No sail away party is a big miss for me. No popcorn in the theater seems ridiculous. I don't see the logic in that.

 

[imahistorygeek]

We sailed September 3 - 6 as two adults and no kids. We felt the same way. We had a great time, but the ROI wasn't there. I'd say the only additional con for us was no dedicated club host, just entertainment cast members filling in the role of club host. We just wanted to cruise, and we paid for it.

 

[Toulou]

We too were on this same cruise...and being of platinum status I can say that this was one of my favorite cruises! We stayed in stateroom 10664 aft...the one with an extended balcony...2 deck chairs, 2 loungers and a table!! Wow! We ate at Palo on our first evening. Sheilia was our server, (an old favorite!), catching up on all great news. We knew what we wanted and ordered it...$44 was our cost, after the platinum touch, for two. We left with the same smile we always did! Fireworks...did I mention that they were viewed perfectly from our veranda? They were the best! Our stateroom host was absolutely the best! He brought two bags of Halloween candy...within 10 minutes when we asked him as stated in the other post. He said they were just for the kids. Hee-hee! His name was Glenn and brought me ice packs for my knee as well. Let's see...Never a wait line. I had the hot tub to myself, during the day, sea day! The aquaduck was never busy. Yes, you had to sign up for the queue to get onto Castaway but we went for breakfast at cabanas and then it was time. Yes,had to have your mask on the trams, then off they came. No lines to eat. The Crew were efficient and worked in a very professional manner...they were all so pleasant, cheerful, and glad to see everyone. There was a family of about 5-6 people, two children, who sat up in Satellite Falls. The crew member immediately went over and told them they were in the 18+ area and he gently escorted them out. That was a first...he walked behind them until they were completely out. I can't say enough. One crew member said it was at 875 count, another said 1125. The best is no people were ever too close! I say to anyone looking to escape...do it now!!

 

[JM_97]

How were the main dinning rooms?

 

[Toulou]

How were the main dinning rooms?

We only ate in the MDRs for Royal Palace and it was quiet...except for the pianist who was in the middle of the room...next to us. Tables were spaced well apart. No one could hear your table chatter...or mine for that matter!

 

[tvguy]

Neutral:

1.) You cannot serve yourself anymore, Everything is served by a Cast Member, Including the fountain drinks and the ice cream.

I know you are neutral on this, but that isn't anything new. That was how it was on our cruise in 2003, but then it was due to the norovirus.

 

[denny33142]

Also another con I would like to add is that you can only take pictures with the characters while social distancing (They are inside a closed off railing).

One thing that was really upsetting was that you need to be masked for any pictures, However if the shutters crew takes the pictures with their camera you can remove your mask, My wife asked if she can remove her mask so that I can take a picture of her next to the Halloween tree in the main lobby and we're told no, Its only allowed if they take the picture.

To me that seems like a cash grab in order to force you to buy the pictures from Shutters, I mean at least be consistent with the masking policy. You are allowed to remove your mask for a photo that the shutters team takes, but someone from your party cannot take your photo in the exact same spot without the mask? Seems strange to me.

 

[JM_97]

Also another con I would like to add is that you can only take pictures with the characters while social distancing (They are inside a closed off railing).

One thing that was really upsetting was that you need to be masked for any pictures, However if the shutters crew takes the pictures with their camera you can remove your mask, My wife asked if she can remove her mask so that I can take a picture of her next to the Halloween tree in the main lobby and we're told no, Its only allowed if they take the picture.

To me that seems like a cash grab in order to force you to buy the pictures from Shutters, I mean at least be consistent with the masking policy. You are allowed to remove your mask for a photo that the shutters team takes, but someone from your party cannot take your photo in the exact same spot without the mask? Seems strange to me.

Yeah that is kind of ridiculous

 

[TheBigErn]

Also another con I would like to add is that you can only take pictures with the characters while social distancing (They are inside a closed off railing).

One thing that was really upsetting was that you need to be masked for any pictures, However if the shutters crew takes the pictures with their camera you can remove your mask, My wife asked if she can remove her mask so that I can take a picture of her next to the Halloween tree in the main lobby and we're told no, Its only allowed if they take the picture.

To me that seems like a cash grab in order to force you to buy the pictures from Shutters, I mean at least be consistent with the masking policy. You are allowed to remove your mask for a photo that the shutters team takes, but someone from your party cannot take your photo in the exact same spot without the mask? Seems strange to me.

Mask for private picture and no mask for a DCL taken picture is beyond dumb. Where's the logic in that?

 

[MouseinMelbourne]

No sail away party is a big miss for me. No popcorn in the theater seems ridiculous. I don't see the logic in that.

No popcorn is brilliant. Because even with just allowing drinks you have asshats like the guy I saw holding his drink up about 5 inches from his mouth for 30 minutes just so he could leave his mask off. He never once took a sip. He did, I am sure, get an arm cramp though. Could you imagine if he was holding a popcorn bag with literally hundreds of kernels in it? He never once would have put on that mask. When people stop being covidiots, the cruise lines can leave us to our own devices.

I appreciated every extra precaution in the theater. Spacing, masking, etc. Germs on a cruise ship at the best of times are prevalent (norovirus, anyone?).

 

[MouseinMelbourne]

Mask for private picture and no mask for a DCL taken picture is beyond dumb. Where's the logic in that?

Again, it is because people abused the rules. Walking around with no masks and just saying they are taking pictures.

 

[TheBigErn]

Again, it is because people abused the rules. Walking around with no masks and just saying they are taking pictures.

Pretty hard to fake taking a picture.

 

[TheBigErn]

No popcorn is brilliant. Because even with just allowing drinks you have asshats like the guy I saw holding his drink up about 5 inches from his mouth for 30 minutes just so he could leave his mask off. He never once took a sip. He did, I am sure, get an arm cramp though. Could you imagine if he was holding a popcorn bag with literally hundreds of kernels in it? He never once would have put on that mask. When people stop being covidiots, the cruise lines can leave us to our own devices.

I appreciated every extra precaution in the theater. Spacing, masking, etc. Germs on a cruise ship at the best of times are prevalent (norovirus, anyone?).

When I'm in a theater, I focus all of my attention on the screen. I wouldn't notice what the person a few seats away is doing. Nor would I care.

 

[magicfan1985]

I know you mentioned no kids, but did you happen to overhear or see anything on board about Oceaneer Kids Club/Lab rules? I am trying to figure out what the process may be for our cruise in November, whether its a limited amount of time per day or not.

Thanks!

We just got back from the Fantasy today. We were allowed 1 hour and 30 min increments. If we wanted to double up we had to check them out and check them back in. Kinda silly they couldn’t do it for us, especially when I had to interrupt our Palo meal to run down check them out and then check them straight back in.

 

[MouseinMelbourne]

When I'm in a theater, I focus all of my attention on the screen. I wouldn't notice what the person a few seats away is doing. Nor would I care.

Bless your heart, I know you wouldn't.

 

[AquaDame]

Again, it is because people abused the rules. Walking around with no masks and just saying they are taking pictures.

I feel like this is the answer, as aggravating as it is to hear. Plus the space Shutters uses has a bit of a buffer around it from other guests to make sure distance is maintained while the masks are off.