Just Off The Dream-Short Review

[GTO-Girl]

This was our second Disney cruise, the first being on the Wonder a few years ago (both were the 4 day cruises). The Dream is a beautiful ship that the staff keeps in imaculate condition. We arrived at the port about 10:00am and got a boarding number of 7, which we didn't think was bad at all. We arrived early enough to grab seats for the wait......boarding started about 12:00 and went quickly. Once you board my advice would be to go to Enchanted Gardens for lunch. It's a buffet, but the waitstaff gets your drinks and it's much calmer than what you're going to find at Cabanas.

 

The rooms opened up promptly at 1:30 and we received our luggage by 3:00.....not bad!!! We had our first inside cabin and the virtual porthole it was great!!

 

Our dining staff was great, but very overworked. They were nice but you could tell they were almost running to get everything done. Some people on these boards have complained about not getting the personal service they experienced in the past. I do feel the same way, but I do not blame the staff at all because they are truly doing the best they can. I do not fault them for not being able to "entertain" us....they simply do not have the time. Oh and for those who seem to be bothered with what everyone wears to dinner......I probably saw more shorts/tshirts or shorts/collared shirts than I have on ANY cruiseline I have been on. Didn't bother us one bit....in fact my husband was thrilled......LOL

 

As has been stated many times the pools are no where near big enough for the crowds. The day we boarded and the last sea day were the worst. You literally could not see the bottom of the pools for all the people...:eek:.......BUT because we did not get off in Nassau and we only stayed a few hours at Castaway Cay, we had no problems swimming at all. Also the lines for the Aqua Duck were very minimal. In fact there were times it was almost deserted.....NICE!!!!! But remember you do have to pick the right times.

 

Our granddaughters used the kids club a little and they seemed to be great and well run. Lots of different activites and a lot of staff available to assist.

 

The shows and the character meet and greets were all fantastic. We didn't go to the magic show but The Golden Mickeys, Villians Tonight and Believe were all wonderful!

 

Getting off the ship was sad, but very painless. We did have to wait in line for a few minutes, but I think they were waiting on Customs to clear the ship. We had a 6:45am breakfast time.....we ate, went through Customs, got our bags and were off the ship a little after 7:30. (we did grab a porter which whisked us through a very short line at Customs-well worth the $$$ we gave him)

 

We did have a wonderful time, but I doubt we will be doing another Disney cruise because it's just too expensive for our family. If I had to pick which one of the Disney cruises I enjoyed the most it would have to be the Wonder because of the crowding situation on the Dream......I know some will disagree, but it's just my opinion.

 

Happy Sailing Everyone!!!

[cruiser323]

Thanks for the review! It sounds like you had a wonderful trip! We are looking forward to our cruise on the Dream but I am a little concerned about the pool situation! I wonder why Disney created a new ship & did not think to make the pools bigger? I thought the pools on the Wonder were small but I have heard some posters say the pools on the dream are even smaller! Yikes!:eek:

[PopFla]

We were on the same cruise. Our group of 11 people had three adjoining staterooms on the 6th deck, starboard side aft (6680, 6682, and 6684) and one on the 8th deck aft (8682). All of the staterooms were very nice - spacious, clean, well arranged - but the one on the 8th deck was quite different; it was HUGE with an enormous verandah. It was actually meant to be a handicapped-accessible room, although none of us needed nor requested such a room.

 

DCL definitely needs to expand the terminal to accommodate the larger number of passengers. We arrived about 10:30 and were also in boarding group 7. By the time they started the actual boarding, the terminal was packed, and it seems few people listen to the announcements not to gather near the boarding area until their number was called. Regardless, we were soon aboard and headed up to deck 11, as the grandsons were anxious to try out Aquaduck, which they did with minimal waiting time. Since we were already up there, we had lunch in Cabanas. No problem finding a table, food selection was quite good, and we finished up just in time to go to our rooms. After that, we roamed around until the mandatory lifeboat drill, which no longer requires you to wear your life preserver when you attend. Good thing, because our assembly area, inside one of the lounges, was shoulder-to-shoulder people.

 

Our dinner rotation was RAEE, 2nd seating. Our primary server seemed to be having a bad day, hardly smiling and very quiet. His assistant was the complete opposite - - very friendly, helpful and always smiling and laughing.

 

The shows were very good. We are pretty sure that the guy who played Hades in the Villains show and the Genie in the Believe show is the same guy who played the Genie in the now-closed Alladin show at Disneyland in the Hyperion Theater. He is hilarious!

 

I have to somewhat disagree with the notion that the pools are too small. True, they are not huge, but there's only so much you can squeeze into the available deck space. We were at the adult pool every day, and never had a problem getting deck chairs or feeling crowded in the pool. One caution about the adult pool area - - drainage on the deck around the pool is non-existant, and the deck gets quite slippery. Crew members were constantly using a large squeegee to sweep standing water into drains some distance away. Same thing applies to the Aquaduck area; deck and steps are constantly very wet and slippery.

 

Aquaduck is a blast! We never had more than about a 20 minute wait.

 

A few negatives:

 

The tub area in our stateroom had a very strong odor that smelled like mildew, although none was visible. Engineering worked in the room twice during the four days, and pronounced the problem solved both times. It wasn't. It still smelled very bad the last morning. Our daughter had the same problem two floors above us. :(

 

Our toilet developed a mind of its own, flushing by itself and overflowing twice in a half-hour. Luckily, the bathroom sits in something of a "tray" with a floor drain, so nothing ended up in the room itself. Engineering quickly found a defective valve, replaced it, and that problem was solved.

 

All in all, however, we had a great time. The ship is absolutely gorgeous, and spacious enough that we never felt crowded despite the ship being totally sold out. The crew members were great (our server finally loosened up the third day, and was great after that), the ship was smooth and quiet running, the entertainment was top notch, and our entire group agreed that the cruise, although too brief, was definitely "DREAMy".

[Brake Boy]

We have just joined the DVC and we are looking to cruise with Disney for the 1st time. We just sailed with NCL Gem from NYC to Bermuda. Had a great time.

One question: We are looking for things to do on sea days. Does anyone have and "dailies" from past cruises? It would be a great tool to help us make our decision! Thanks.

[flynnsport]

very helpful thoughts, thank you!

[SuzanneSLO]

[snip]The shows were very good. We are pretty sure that the guy who played Hades in the Villains show and the Genie in the Believe show is the same guy who played the Genie in the now-closed Alladin show at Disneyland in the Hyperion Theater. He is hilarious! [snip]

 

Just a point of clarification. Aladdin is still playing at Disney's California Adventure in California, 4 times a day, seven days a week through the summer. There are internet rumors that it might be replaced with a new show in 2012 when Aladdin starts playing on the Fantasy, but they are nothing but rumors at this time. The powers that be want to upgrade the outside of the Hyperion Theater, which means closing it for some time, but this probably won't happen until the other work is completed in 2012.

 

Of course, they recast the Aladdin show from time to time, so the actor on the Dream might have also previously played the Genie at DCA. -- Suzanne

[PopFla]

I stand corrected, Suzanne. I thought I had read that the show had been discontinued at DCA. And in this case, being wrong is a good thing - -the show has been a "must-do" for us on our visits out there.

[debnjimpa]

I have a question about you being off the ship by 7:30::::::How do they disembark. We are on Deck 2 (DH choice for vitual porthole), and have an 11:30 flt out of Orlando. I'm a little worried about the time. Disney said it's to early for them to do the transfer? Do you think it's going to be an issue with private transportation? Great review!!

[PopFla]

You have the option of either (1) skipping breakfast and disembarking as soon as the ship is cleared by Customs [they make an announcement over the PA system], or (2) grabbing a quick breakfast at Cabanas [I believe they open around 6am on disembarkation day] and disembark as soon as the ship is cleared. DCL does not assign disembarkation times or groups; you can leave when you're ready.

 

With private transportation, all you need to do is specify to them what time you want to be picked up at the terminal.

[disneyfn]

Looking to book a trip on the Fantasy in Jan. 2013 and would like to see photos of the balcony of this room on the Dream. I am of course assuming the Dream and the Fantasy will both be the same. Not happy the points to book through DVC jumped as much as they did but what can you do.

[eh2zed]

Thanks for the review.

[EJG]

Thanks for the rewiew