The all grown up New Years Dream Cruise with 9X Carnival cruisers!

[pbmom]

Two families, 5 kids - and I use that term lightly as they were all over the age of 21.

Our journey with the other family began in 2000. We were on our first family cruise on the Disney Wonder. We were seated at a table with a family from Michigan. Our son was 10 at the time and their children were 12, 13 and 15. I have never seen a family look as ill as they did that night. Turned out they were all deathly seasick. Quick trip to the cabin with a handful of Bonine and we became life long friends. Two years later we met them on the Disney Magic and two years after that in Cancun. Over the years we have visited each others homes and last year had the honor of attending their eldest daughters wedding.

In February they called with what at the time I thought was a wild idea. Three of the four kids were graduating college in 2012 so why not treat them to a NY Eve Cruise on the brand new Dream? 10 months later we were so excited to see the family and to board this ship......but I mean Disney with our four kids and their eldests husband? Wouldn't Carnival be more fun for these young adults........ Absolutely NOT! It was by everyone's vote, and facebook status, "the best vacation, hands down, ever!!!!"

At the risk of my son's wrath I will not post any personal pics but will try and provide some of the highlights of our amazing vacation.

 

[pbmom]

Living in the Midwest one never knows if a freak snowstorm will keep you grounded so of course I stressed for days watching the weather channel. No worries, warm in Chicago and upper 60's in Florida. To us it felt like 80! We flew into Orlando and rented a car from Avis using an awesome code I found on Cruise Critics. Saved me 50%! Stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn which I would highly recommend and had a great dinner at Grills. Next morning we walked as far as you could to see the ship in port then turned our car into the Avis Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach office around 10:45. Five minutes later we were on our way to the port and arrived there at 11. I forgot what a beautiful terminal it is! We were given seating #6. First seating called at 11:30 and we were on the ship by 11:40. Such a beautiful ship and impressive personalized service!!! First tip: If you don't want to wait in the long line for the embarkation photo just head up the middle and politely decline the photo representative. We knew we would have hundreds of photo ops and we just couldn't wait to get on board and see our friends.

We headed straight to Cabana's and I was in heaven when I saw those unbelievable shrimps! Disney wins one over Carnival here with cold peel and eat shrimps at lunch every day!

At 1:30 our cabin was ready. We had cabin 6150 which was very nice although a bit cramped when you add my 21 year old son to the mix. It was also in the far aft which was great for running up the stairs to eat during the day and down one level to dinner and clubs but also a far hike to the front of the ship where we spent much of our pool side time.

Agree with prior posts, life boat drill is really long and really crowded when everyone is dismissed. Sail away party was fun - crowded with lots of people dancing. Only deterrent that first day was my son's missing luggage. We got ours in the early afternoon but after calls to our room steward and a stop at the guest service desk they did not locate his bag until almost 7pm. When he was young he could care less but now he has developed a new found appreciation for nice clothes so he was kind of stressed.

Pre-dinner we headed down to The District Clubs and stopped in 687 which is a great sports bar with wings, chips and salsa served. Needless to say with all the football games happening New Years weekend we spent a lot of time in this place!

Also stopped in Pink's as the girls wanted to have a champagne cocktail. The bar was very pretty and really empty.

Our first nights dinner was in the Royal Palace and we had Mo and Moises as servers. Both were amazing although dinner seemed to take forever. Late seating at 8:15 can take until 10 if you like a relaxed service but at the end of the meal they asked us if dinner was too fast or too slow and we all agreed we'd like it a bit quicker to get going with the night and not fall asleep in our plates.

We called it a night after dinner after a long day in the sun and a really long dinner and ready to hit the beach in the morning.

One note - this ships itinerary is so relaxing and the stops are so close together that the ship never really moves very fast. Up until the last night you would not even know we were moving at all! Highly suggest this one for the queasy sea traveler.

 

[pbmom]

We pulled into Castaway Cay around 7:30 am. What a beautiful island!!! There was a giant Christmas tree right outside the ship which incidentally was gone on our return trip on January 2nd.

We walked to the tram to Serenity Beach and headed over to the adults only area. We were a little lost but could easily have walked the whole way and did so on subsequent trips there. The beach is beautiful with plenty of chairs and umbrellas and hammocks. We could see the Cabana's that could be rented but honestly didn't see the use for it unless you have elderly family with you or children needing a nap spot.

Another note about Carnival vs. Disney which I probably could have inserted earlier. Disney does not hawk their drink service any where near the hard sell that Carnival does. I liked this. And although the first comparisons are pro-Disney there are some things I really like about Carnival. Obviously the cost is incomparable. IMHO aside from the shrimps at lunch I think the food on both lines is pretty equivalent. Disney has apparently done away with Lobster for dinner even on New Years Eve which we thought was very surprising. Also was surprised not to find those nice comfy robes in our cabin that we got spoiled with on Carnival ships.

But lunch at CC the first day surpassed any lunch I've had with Carnival. There is a smaller bbq place out by Serenity Bay with great chicken, ribs, burgers, brats and unbelievable grilled salmon. We all had double portions of meat, salad bar and fresh fruit.

Headed back to ship early afternoon to get a break from the sun and decided to explore the ship, deck by deck. It really is stunning; clean, new, elegant, just beautiful.

Another note for adults is that there just isn't a lot of planned events for adults on Disney. Obviously the focus is on kids and if you like characters there are a ton of places to run into them and they are so nice! We have pictures with Mickey, Chip and Dale and Captain Jack.

One of the most fun things we did was a salsa dance class before dinner on the second night. That was the only event of its type during the entire cruise that we saw and we had a blast. Wish they did more things like that but I am assuming there are just not enough adults to make these events worthwhile.

Second dinner was in Animators Palate. Had no idea what others were talking about in prior trip reports about "Crush interacting with them" until the giant cartoon figure in the window behind us started razzing one of the kids at dinner. It was hilarious and he actually spurred him on to stand up and sing to his wife at the table. Loved that!! After dinner we went to the dance bar and it was hopping and lots of fun. Then off to bed by midnight for the adults. The kids (did I mention they are now 21, 22, 24 and 26?) on the other hand found plenty to do until they rolled in around 3am. Did I mention that it was so much cheaper when the biggest bill on my sons card was the arcade and not the bars????

 

[pbmom]

We have been to Nassau before and we all decided that staying on the ship and pretending it was a sea day would be much more fun. There were also 6 other ships in port. Was cool seeing them all lined up. We were docked near the Carnival Imagination which I was on last December - no comparison! The Carnival Freedom which was the ship we took my son on for high school graduation, RC Navigator of the Sea was also in port and quite impressive. Had breakfast at Cabana's again and now learned that you can ask them to make you an omelet. Lots to choose from including smoked salmon every day, very nice. We never did make it to the sit down breakfast in one of the dining rooms as we just couldn't tear ourselves away from the beautiful weather.

Note about the aqua duck. There were long lines as noted by others but those in our party that went on it really thought it was fun. I thought it was just as fun watching people in those see through tubes.

After breakfast we went down to see the pictures we took at Shutters. The online viewing function and hard copies in photo albums is an absolutely hands down improvement over Carnival's system. I sure hope they get there someday. We didn't plan it but ended up with prime viewing of the princesses as they greeting the little girls dressed up in their matching gowns. It was so sweet to see them interact and watch the children hug them in awe. Loved that too.

New Years Eve dinner was in the Enchanted Gardens and was so much fun. Special menu was good but not really impressive considering it was New Years. Lots of party favors on table, horns, hats and tiara's.

The party after dinner on the deck was FANTASTIC! the deck was hopping. They covered the pool and had music and big screen countdown. There was a ventriloquist who did a short show and then more music. Deck was packed and everyone was dancing. Free champagne in great souvenir glasses and hors doevres passed out. Count down was a blast Needless to say we all stayed out way too late and was glad the next day was a sea day!

 

[pbmom]

One more note about New Years Eve. When we got back to the cabin there were several gifts on our bed including a box of chocolates and a commemorative lithograph that was just beautiful. Very impressive. Speaking of gifts I also forgot to mention that we received a really nice "past guest" gift the first day consisting of a great beach bag, two thermal bottles, key chain and snacks. Used the bag all week and loved it.

New Years morning we had a quiet breakfast from Cabana's on a big cushioned chair outside of the adults pool. This was the first day I noticed the "chair hogs" with lots of towels holding empty chairs. I can't complain as the early bird in our party I was in charge of holding our nine chairs. Still was not much of a problem getting deck chairs on 12 and they were really nice cushy chairs too!

Again the ocean was smooth as glass and at times I don't think we were even moving. Looking at the itinerary map I think we were docked as we sure didn't have far to go to get back to Castaway Cay.

Another random note on the crew. These are the nicest folks at sea! From the minute you enter the ship and they personally lead you in and give you an overview of the ship to the day they lead you off the ship the service level exceeded all my expectations. Our dinner server even addressed me by name at lunch one day when I stopped to pick up a wrap at the counter. I checked to see if my name was showing on my ID/cabin key but nope she just remembered.

Spent most of the day at the pool and then found a nice place to take my New Years Day nap. On deck 4 where I did my daily 2 mile walk they have really nice cushioned chairs. Brought my kindle out there and fell asleep overlooking the ocean. I wasn't alone, it was me and a bunch of other people who stayed up too late NY Eve and even a dad with his napping toddler!

Shopped in the numerous stores later in the afternoon - much more stores than on the Carnival ships I have been on and bought a NY Disney Dream ornament. Prices very reasonable.

Dinner in the Enchanted Garden was really good - great scallops. Lots of folks wore the pirate bandana's supplied in our cabins and some even had elaborate pirate outfits and many didn't wear any pirate attire. Was so tired from night before we missed the fireworks and deck party.

Sadly we knew the next day was the last day

 

[pbmom]

While the "adults" were having a great time exploring the different clubs in the District all weekend so were the kids! There is a martini bar that is just beautiful called Skylines where the backdrop of skylines include Chicago, NY and Paris and change every fifteen minutes. There is also a dance bar, Evolutions, that gets going around 10:30, the sports bar, 687 as mentioned before, as well as many pool bars and lobby bars - I know since if we didn't go there ourselves I saw them on my bill. There is also a beautiful inside and outside lounge next to the pay up restaurants Remy and Palo's. We did not eat at either of these restaurants on this cruise although we have before and heard others give great reviews on the food and service.

Last day at sea was beautiful, again smooth seas and sunny skies. Our last dinner in the Royal Palace was nice as well.

Have to agree with the kids on this one - hands down the best vacation and best cruise ever! Happy to answer any questions!

 

[sparklechicks]

Thank you Pbmom for is review. I have been hoping someone would let us know how the cruise was..... We are booked for the NYE cruise for 2012! Thank you again it sounds like everyone had a great time!

 

[MrsJobba1]

Thank you I for your report
I would love to spend NYE on a Disney ship!

 

[pbmom]

Thanks, and yes, New Years Eve under the stars was unbelievable!!!

if someone can tell me how to insert pictures in the thread I have some nice ones including NY deck party!

 

[Dchachos]

Thanks, and yes, New Years Eve under the stars was unbelievable!!!

if someone can tell me how to insert pictures in the thread I have some nice ones including NY deck party!

First of all I love you TR I also agree there needs to be more adult activities. I went on the Mexican Riviera Christmas cruise with my two sons who lived for the first few days in the kid's clubs so I had plenty of alone grown up time. I found things to do, heck as a single mother having an uninterrupted nap was a blessing.

To post pictures I opened a photobucket account (it's free) then I posted the IMG code that they provide in you PB album in your DIS post.
Here is a link: http://photobucket.com/ I didn't have any luck with the other kinds of codes working on this site.

I am hoping to do a Caribbean cruise next time but the airfare is a huge addition to the cruise.

Again I love your report and I love that all the "grown" people went DCL.

Dianne

 

[TravelNicholas]

My family will be onboard the Dream for New Year's Eve 2012 - appreciate you taking the time to post a review!