Disney Dream 5-day Nassau Review 6/29

Since there are very few actual reviews in the Disney area I thought I would post a quick one from our recent cruise on the Disney Dream 5-day to Nassau. This was a family cruise with a total of 14 of us including an infant, married millennials, single millenials, parents and grandparents. We always take advantage of Disney's travel services for flights, bus to the port, etc. The best perk is your bags, once checked at the airport, go directly to your room on the ship. The flight, bus transfer to port and check-in was smooth and we were in our cabin by 1:30pm with all bags accounted for. The disembarking was just as smooth....bags put out the night before are checked thru to your final destination so all you need to do is get up, have breakfast, get off the ship and go thru customs hop on a bus and off to the airport....this also went smoothly.

This was our third Disney cruise, the other two were on the Fantasy (Dreams sister ship). We tried booking the Fantasy again but the ship was full on the dates we wanted so we settled on the Dream with the shorter itinerary. The itinerary for the short 5-day is Castaway Cay/Nassau/Castaway Cay/Sea Day.....While Castaway Cay (Disney's private island) is fun and has lots to do I would have preferred another separate stop (Key West?) rather than a second day there but the weather was great the entire cruise so not much to complain about! Nassau is also not a great port but we decided to do the day at Atlantis. Since there is only one sea day we spent the majority of the time off ship.....some folks choose to stay on the ship during these ports to take advantage of the empty ship....no crowds in the pool, lines for the slides or issues getting prime seating....During the sea day things can be a bit crowded but we always seem to find good chairs, etc.

The Dream and the Fantasy are basically the same ship with a few minor differences. We found both ships to be very clean, well maintained and the service on both were very good to excellent in all of the areas (dining room, bars, etc.) Disney does the rotational dining thru three main restaurants with your wait staff moving with you each night. The food is definitely not 5-star but we found it to be very good as far as cruise ships go. There are plenty of places to get food during the day from sit down service, buffets and other walk-up sandwich and pizza options. Plenty of bars and drink services to meet your alcohol needs. There is a separate adult area and pool. Disney movies are played continuously on a large screen near the two main pools. The pools are small and can get crowded but just fine for a quick dip to cool off on a hot day. Disney also has a kiddie waterslide as well as their main Aquaduck ride that is pretty good.

I had read a lot of reviews about the day at Atlantis in Nassau and was somewhat weary about booking this for my family of six.....many complained about the lines, crowds, etc, and for the cost of $1,000 just to get in I thought this could be a total bust. We opted to go directly thru Atlantis for the passes (a few dollars cheaper than Disney) but we were responsible for the cab back and forth ($30 each way so the overall savings was minimal. We were off the ship at 8:30am and a quick and easy cab ride (it's literally a few miles away from the port) over to the resort....a short wait in line to check-in and we were in the resort by 9:30am. The resort is big, beautiful and very clean...we went thru the aquarium (a must see!) and easily found chairs by the main pool. We got a locker for our valuables and proceeded to take advantage of the numerous slides and rides...lines were not an issue and the rides were pretty intense! My fears of overcrowding were quickly dismissed as we found the place to be a total blast (my kids are 10 thru 28) The food and drinks can be a bit pricy as well...$120 for burgers and fries for six! drinks ranged from $10+ for beers and $12+ for mixed drinks....not far off what you would pay on board the ship. Overall the food was very good, drinks as well and the service and friendliness of the Atlantis staff was a pleasant surprise. I would not want to spend a week here but highly recommend the day pass if the prices don't scare you off.

The shows are total Disney and are pretty good...this being our third cruise we opted to catch a first-run movie (Incredibles 2) and skipped a few to just chill out. Didn't use the Spa but they have a decent gym that never got too crowded. This is Disney so no casino and the nightlife pretty much ends at midnight. We did not use the Kids Club since our 10 year old wanted to hang with us and play shuffle board, Goofy golf and basketball. My niece used the infant care for dinner each night and said they were very good. We don't typically use the specialty restaurants since we are fine with the MDR (we prefer the early seating at 5:45pm since it works best with the shows scheduled at 8:30pm) I have heard pretty favorable reviews of the two specialty restaurants (Palo & Remy) just remember to book well in advance of your cruise.

Overall this cruise was very enjoyable....the weather was great so that is a key factor on any cruise. I really enjoy the Disney cruises but we have also cruised a number of times on both Royal and Carnival and quite frankly we really enjoyed them too. While Disney does Disney very well and service is their hallmark their cruises usually cost about 2X other lines.....that's a pretty big up charge that you will have to wrestle with when booking/comparing cruises. As I sit here sifting thru the room charges from the cruise it's a hard pill to swallow but we had a blast and I'm sure we'll do it again!

Hope this review helps you out as you look to book your next cruise.

Great review, thanks!!

Thanks so much for the review! We'll be going with our family of five next June so great to hear.

We will be at Disney World before the cruise and Discover Cove so we are thinking of skipping Atlantis. Do you think it's a must do? Or just nice to have?

Great review thanks, this will be our first cruise,

If you don't mind we would be

Interested to see what your room charges are ?

What are chargeable services/items on the cruise , what advice would you give for tipping?

There will be five of us, four adults and a six year old.

To Kfamily.....if you are already doing Disney and Discovery Cove prior to the cruise I wouldn’t think Atlantis is needed....not sure of how old your kids are? But a lot of the slides & rides have height requirements (48” I think)

Just be aware that there is not much else happening in Nassau

To Plutos Twin.....room charges are primarily alcohol, specialty coffee, photo packages and other non-included services (spa)....all of which can be avoided or limited with a bit of discipline and discretion!!!

To Kfamily.....if you are already doing Disney and Discovery Cove prior to the cruise I wouldn’t think Atlantis is needed....not sure of how old your kids are? But a lot of the slides & rides have height requirements (48” I think)

Just be aware that there is not much else happening in Nassau

 

To Plutos Twin.....room charges are primarily alcohol, specialty coffee, photo packages and other non-included services (spa)....all of which can be avoided or limited with a bit of discipline and discretion!!!

Thanks! My kids are 9, 14 and 15 so meet the requirements. Appreciate the insight!

Forgot to include info on tipping on last post for Plutos Twin....

Tipping (for room steward, waiters, etc.) is typically included in the plan....at least that is how we do it....it usually is a specific amount per person per day. We usually give a little extra in cash if we find that the service was really good. I also will tip a particular bartender or two that we have used regularly over the course of the trip in cash. Every drink you order has a built-in 15% gratuity that goes to the server....you can also choose to give more if you desire.

Thanks for the review! We are headed on our first Disney cruise in December and are just now getting into the planning phase for that and we are so excited :).

Thanks for sharing.

Brilliant, thanks for the advice. Some top tips there.