Cast: me, dh, dd (12) and dd (10).
We just got back from our 4 day Dream cruise and loved every second of it. This was our 3rd Disney cruise but 1st on the Dream (other 2 on Wonder). I am not going to do a drawn out report because I go back to work day after tomorrow and have loads of laundry to deal with.
I have been reading these boards since I was prepping for our 1st cruise and wanted to give back my feedback in hopes it perhaps helps someone else.
Embarkation:
-------------
We got to the port at approx. 10am and waited in a very brief line before getting to go into the terminal. Going through security was a breeze, other than my dd's impatience and continuous setting off of the alarm because they were trying to get through together.
We went up the escalator, filled out health form and then proceeded to go to check in and received boarding card #2. 
There were maybe 2 families ahead of me to check done in no time. I did not realize they take the family security photo at check in so I was yelling across terminal for my kids and calling dh to hurry from security to get the picture taken. There was only one other parent in line for kids club so I went ahead and got in it too - not like there was anything else for me to do anyways. Like I have read in many other reports, their computers took forever to rollover and by the time they came up it was past 11am and the line behind me weaved through the que and all the way back to the escalators.
I walked my dd's around and found some of the friends they had already made through our Dis group, used the restroom (now that had a line and someone was flat ironing a little girl's hair in there
). We headed back to our seat and within 10-15 minutes were calling group 1. I agree with what others have said about the entry to the cruise being clogged with people and I saw a lot of higher # boarding cards that had no business being at the opening but we were polite and were able to get through.
Walking into the atrium was breathtaking. The ship is truely beautiful.
Room:
-------
We were in 8014, a cat 8C. It had both the bunk and murphy bed. It was a great room and location. It was quiet, except for the excited young ones that ran up and down the halls at random hours and sounded like a herd of cattle (I am a mom with kids who understands that excitement so I did not let it bother me.) We only heard the thrusters slightly when docking but not enough to bother us. On Castaway it worked like an alarm clock letting us know it was time to get our booties up!
Food:
------
We ate at Cabanas for lunch and thought the food was very good. We also ate there for breakfast each morning and were very happy with our meals. Lunches thereafter were on deck..pizza, sandwiches. I honestly can say there was nothing I ordered that I did not think was at least very good. I ate the steak/beef selection every night and after the first night even my dd (12) had steak. My dh branched out and had chicken and boar and was very happy. They worked with the girls to get them what they wanted, even if not on the menu and brought me 2 panacotta's from Palo when I said they were my favorites but I wasn't going to Palo to not miss any of the dining rooms!!
Speaking of Palo, dh and I did have brunch on our day at sea and the food was amazing!! I had the 4 cheese pizza off the dinner menu (was not a problem) and I must have tried every dessert they had for brunch. I told my dh I wished all the desserts were that good, but then I guess no one would pay to go to Palo for the food!! The restaurant is beautiful, I loved the atmosphere more than on the Wonder. NEGATIVE #1: The designers put the basketball courts over Palo. So, you hear the thump, thump, thump throughout the meal. Hopefully they fix that on the Fantasy. Our server looked very irritated over the basketball when I confirmed with her that was the sound I was hearing.
The food on Castaway was also very good. The ribs and mahi were very tasty! I will say, the texture of the icecream is much better on the island than on the ship too. For some reason, it was much creamier, where on the ship it tended to be more icy (don't get me wrong, it was still good and my kids probably ate their weight in icecream cones on board!).
Pools/Aquaduck/Mini Golf:
--------------------------
These were the outside activities we did as a family. We loved the Aquaduck. Most times it looked like the wait was approx. 30-45 min max, and early in the morning it was more like 15-20 max. My dd did tell me at one point the line did get to be 2 hrs but I never saw that. The ride was lots of fun. The pools are small for the amount of people but it loooked like all the kids and parents sitting around them were having fun. The adult pool was mostly empty, except on the day at sea, and by then I was already burnt and not in the mood for sun (guess I did not pace myself well there!).
There ARE plenty of chairs on the decks and while you may not get the exact seat you want next to the pool, there were plenty up one deck and even on the sea day there were plenty of loungers stacked up in a corner not being used.
Mini golf was a fun addition to the ship and while it's a small course, we had lots of fun playing and were ready for the pool when we were done (it was HOT).
Shows:
-------
The only shows we went to were Golden Mickey's and Villains Tonight and we enjoyed both. We were able to get good seats, even when we got to Golden Mickey's right at start time. Got to Villains early and did not observe a lot of seat saving like other's have mentioned.
We did watch Pirates of the Carribean in the theatre one nights and it was lots of fun to watch at sea. Their 3D glasses are great quality too!!
Tastings:
---------
Dh and I did that Mixology class and a Tequila/Margarita tasting. They were both great and you got lots of alcohol!! I think we tasted about 11-13 drinks at Mixology, small amounts of each but I definitely left buzzing!! At the tequila there were three shots of Patron and then a large melon margarita that was soo good. I could not drink the tequila straight up so poured one of the shots into my margarita - YUMMY!! I will definitely do these again!!
Castaway Cay:
---------------
The island is still amazing. The beach is huge. The girls and I went snorkeling and I was not as thrilled with that. It felt like we went out forever and never found any statues, there were a lot of sunken objects that small fish were attracted to and there was a sunken boat but I thought we saw a lot more in the past.
We were fortunate to get a cabana (#12) and it was the highlight of the cruise. My dh was not thrilled when I first told him cost but within a minute of seeing it and walking through it he loved it and said this was the best Father's Day ever (he is not a beach person and has not enjoyed just laying in a lawn chair for an entire day in the past). The girls and I just floated in the water and they went back and forth from Pelican Plunge to our beach area. The walk from the cabana's to the bathrooms and Cookies Too is very short and easy. Any of the family beach cabana's are great.
NEGATIVE #2 did surround the cabana. It was not the cabana itself but the concierge staff that is "there for you". While we were enjoying our relax time in the cabana we watched the concierge staff go to the cabana next to us and interact with them, ask how things are going and if there is anything they can do or get them. It was obvious the families on both sides of us were concierge members because they were talking about things on board and it was clear they already "knew" eachother. That is fine, the great service that is to be expected. However, the person then walked up to us and the extent of conversation was "hi, I see you are relaxing, enjoy your time". We then watched them walk to "their concierge members" on the other side and have a repeat of the prior conversation we had just heard. The final kicker was at the end when they approached #13, confirmed they had a great time, gave them a run down of what was coming up on the ship and then immediately calling for the shuttle to come pick them up and take them to the tram. They came up to us, as we were packing up our bags and told us they hoped we enjoyed our stay. Then they went to #11 and again, called them a tram without being asked.
The above would have never been a problem if it was not for the fact the cabanas are right next to eachother and there is no way to not have personally observed and heard the interactions on both sides of me and the difference with us. I paid the same amount for the cabana experience and would have not expected to be treated like a "commoner" that had snagged a cabana (which IS what I am, I could not afford to splurge for concierge but this was a splurge for my family I could do and got lucky enough to have one be available).
The above being said, we will try to get a cabana again the next time we cruise. I have never been to Serenity Bay because of my girls but imagined that I had the best of both worlds with the cabana.
Crowds:
---------
Our ship was full and no upgrades were available. I never found crowds to be an issue except before dinner and we had to have the early Mickey Pirate Party in the atrium due to rain and even with all the decks it is not enough for everyone to watch. My kids sat on the floor and looked between peoples legs. Other than sea day, it really never seemed crowded to me. I was never able to not go somewhere due to crowds. Stores were never really crowded, never had more than 1-2 people at register ahead of me and I hit the stores multiple times.
Final:
-------
OK, I guess I have rambled enough. If anyone has any specific questions, I will try to answer them. I would give our cruise experience an A++ and booked a dummy date for a 7 night eastern on the Fantasy. If there was one thing I could have changed it would have been to have my dh win the
$5k bingo jackpot so that I could book 2 cruises instead of 1!! Seriously, anyone thinking of booking...BOOK and if you are anxious over some of what you have read...DON'T BE!! You will have an AMAZING time too!!
Now, to start the laundry!!
Update: Here are the links to my facebook photos!!
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150209366301239.312926.724791238&l=47c5f9ed6c
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150210934886239.313405.724791238&l=12088cfeee
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150209393676239.312938.724791238&l=a6fdc49937
We just got back from our 4 day Dream cruise and loved every second of it. This was our 3rd Disney cruise but 1st on the Dream (other 2 on Wonder). I am not going to do a drawn out report because I go back to work day after tomorrow and have loads of laundry to deal with.
I have been reading these boards since I was prepping for our 1st cruise and wanted to give back my feedback in hopes it perhaps helps someone else.Embarkation:
-------------
We got to the port at approx. 10am and waited in a very brief line before getting to go into the terminal. Going through security was a breeze, other than my dd's impatience and continuous setting off of the alarm because they were trying to get through together.
We went up the escalator, filled out health form and then proceeded to go to check in and received boarding card #2. There were maybe 2 families ahead of me to check done in no time. I did not realize they take the family security photo at check in so I was yelling across terminal for my kids and calling dh to hurry from security to get the picture taken. There was only one other parent in line for kids club so I went ahead and got in it too - not like there was anything else for me to do anyways. Like I have read in many other reports, their computers took forever to rollover and by the time they came up it was past 11am and the line behind me weaved through the que and all the way back to the escalators.
I walked my dd's around and found some of the friends they had already made through our Dis group, used the restroom (now that had a line and someone was flat ironing a little girl's hair in there
). We headed back to our seat and within 10-15 minutes were calling group 1. I agree with what others have said about the entry to the cruise being clogged with people and I saw a lot of higher # boarding cards that had no business being at the opening but we were polite and were able to get through.Walking into the atrium was breathtaking. The ship is truely beautiful.
Room:
-------
We were in 8014, a cat 8C. It had both the bunk and murphy bed. It was a great room and location. It was quiet, except for the excited young ones that ran up and down the halls at random hours and sounded like a herd of cattle (I am a mom with kids who understands that excitement so I did not let it bother me.) We only heard the thrusters slightly when docking but not enough to bother us. On Castaway it worked like an alarm clock letting us know it was time to get our booties up!
Food:
------
We ate at Cabanas for lunch and thought the food was very good. We also ate there for breakfast each morning and were very happy with our meals. Lunches thereafter were on deck..pizza, sandwiches. I honestly can say there was nothing I ordered that I did not think was at least very good. I ate the steak/beef selection every night and after the first night even my dd (12) had steak. My dh branched out and had chicken and boar and was very happy. They worked with the girls to get them what they wanted, even if not on the menu and brought me 2 panacotta's from Palo when I said they were my favorites but I wasn't going to Palo to not miss any of the dining rooms!!
Speaking of Palo, dh and I did have brunch on our day at sea and the food was amazing!! I had the 4 cheese pizza off the dinner menu (was not a problem) and I must have tried every dessert they had for brunch. I told my dh I wished all the desserts were that good, but then I guess no one would pay to go to Palo for the food!! The restaurant is beautiful, I loved the atmosphere more than on the Wonder. NEGATIVE #1: The designers put the basketball courts over Palo. So, you hear the thump, thump, thump throughout the meal. Hopefully they fix that on the Fantasy. Our server looked very irritated over the basketball when I confirmed with her that was the sound I was hearing.
The food on Castaway was also very good. The ribs and mahi were very tasty! I will say, the texture of the icecream is much better on the island than on the ship too. For some reason, it was much creamier, where on the ship it tended to be more icy (don't get me wrong, it was still good and my kids probably ate their weight in icecream cones on board!).
Pools/Aquaduck/Mini Golf:
--------------------------
These were the outside activities we did as a family. We loved the Aquaduck. Most times it looked like the wait was approx. 30-45 min max, and early in the morning it was more like 15-20 max. My dd did tell me at one point the line did get to be 2 hrs but I never saw that. The ride was lots of fun. The pools are small for the amount of people but it loooked like all the kids and parents sitting around them were having fun. The adult pool was mostly empty, except on the day at sea, and by then I was already burnt and not in the mood for sun (guess I did not pace myself well there!).
There ARE plenty of chairs on the decks and while you may not get the exact seat you want next to the pool, there were plenty up one deck and even on the sea day there were plenty of loungers stacked up in a corner not being used.
Mini golf was a fun addition to the ship and while it's a small course, we had lots of fun playing and were ready for the pool when we were done (it was HOT).
Shows:
-------
The only shows we went to were Golden Mickey's and Villains Tonight and we enjoyed both. We were able to get good seats, even when we got to Golden Mickey's right at start time. Got to Villains early and did not observe a lot of seat saving like other's have mentioned.
We did watch Pirates of the Carribean in the theatre one nights and it was lots of fun to watch at sea. Their 3D glasses are great quality too!!
Tastings:
---------
Dh and I did that Mixology class and a Tequila/Margarita tasting. They were both great and you got lots of alcohol!! I think we tasted about 11-13 drinks at Mixology, small amounts of each but I definitely left buzzing!! At the tequila there were three shots of Patron and then a large melon margarita that was soo good. I could not drink the tequila straight up so poured one of the shots into my margarita - YUMMY!! I will definitely do these again!!
Castaway Cay:
---------------
The island is still amazing. The beach is huge. The girls and I went snorkeling and I was not as thrilled with that. It felt like we went out forever and never found any statues, there were a lot of sunken objects that small fish were attracted to and there was a sunken boat but I thought we saw a lot more in the past.
We were fortunate to get a cabana (#12) and it was the highlight of the cruise. My dh was not thrilled when I first told him cost but within a minute of seeing it and walking through it he loved it and said this was the best Father's Day ever (he is not a beach person and has not enjoyed just laying in a lawn chair for an entire day in the past). The girls and I just floated in the water and they went back and forth from Pelican Plunge to our beach area. The walk from the cabana's to the bathrooms and Cookies Too is very short and easy. Any of the family beach cabana's are great.
NEGATIVE #2 did surround the cabana. It was not the cabana itself but the concierge staff that is "there for you". While we were enjoying our relax time in the cabana we watched the concierge staff go to the cabana next to us and interact with them, ask how things are going and if there is anything they can do or get them. It was obvious the families on both sides of us were concierge members because they were talking about things on board and it was clear they already "knew" eachother. That is fine, the great service that is to be expected. However, the person then walked up to us and the extent of conversation was "hi, I see you are relaxing, enjoy your time". We then watched them walk to "their concierge members" on the other side and have a repeat of the prior conversation we had just heard. The final kicker was at the end when they approached #13, confirmed they had a great time, gave them a run down of what was coming up on the ship and then immediately calling for the shuttle to come pick them up and take them to the tram. They came up to us, as we were packing up our bags and told us they hoped we enjoyed our stay. Then they went to #11 and again, called them a tram without being asked.
The above would have never been a problem if it was not for the fact the cabanas are right next to eachother and there is no way to not have personally observed and heard the interactions on both sides of me and the difference with us. I paid the same amount for the cabana experience and would have not expected to be treated like a "commoner" that had snagged a cabana (which IS what I am, I could not afford to splurge for concierge but this was a splurge for my family I could do and got lucky enough to have one be available).
The above being said, we will try to get a cabana again the next time we cruise. I have never been to Serenity Bay because of my girls but imagined that I had the best of both worlds with the cabana.
Crowds:
---------
Our ship was full and no upgrades were available. I never found crowds to be an issue except before dinner and we had to have the early Mickey Pirate Party in the atrium due to rain and even with all the decks it is not enough for everyone to watch. My kids sat on the floor and looked between peoples legs. Other than sea day, it really never seemed crowded to me. I was never able to not go somewhere due to crowds. Stores were never really crowded, never had more than 1-2 people at register ahead of me and I hit the stores multiple times.
Final:
-------
OK, I guess I have rambled enough. If anyone has any specific questions, I will try to answer them. I would give our cruise experience an A++ and booked a dummy date for a 7 night eastern on the Fantasy. If there was one thing I could have changed it would have been to have my dh win the
$5k bingo jackpot so that I could book 2 cruises instead of 1!! Seriously, anyone thinking of booking...BOOK and if you are anxious over some of what you have read...DON'T BE!! You will have an AMAZING time too!!
Now, to start the laundry!!
Update: Here are the links to my facebook photos!!
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150209366301239.312926.724791238&l=47c5f9ed6c
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150210934886239.313405.724791238&l=12088cfeee
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150209393676239.312938.724791238&l=a6fdc49937
, can i ask how your dining service was?
Mixology is definitely going on our to-do list!
