Disney Dream Aug 28 - Sep 1

[gabster001]

This was our first cruise on Disney; previous cruises were Royal Caribbean (which we didn't like) and Holland America (which we loved). For transport to/from Orlando, we used Happy Limo; $170 one way for all 8 of us. Embarkation was very smooth; our boarding time was scheduled at 1:30; we arrived at 2 and went right on. Our daughter was scheduled for 1 and went right on at 12:30. We had lunch up at Cabanas and had no trouble finding seating. We thought the ship was spectacular--truly lovely and elegant in an understated way. The cabins were very comfortable; the split bath is a brilliant idea! Food was good--better than Royal Caribbean; not so good as Holland America. Variety of food was good, but the execution was not all it could be. We did not eat at any of the specialty restaurants (my husband felt he'd already paid for his food, so why pay again ; ) We especially enjoyed Enchanted Garden and had lunch and breakfast there on days we were not in port as it was quieter than Cabanas. We did not like Animators' Pallet; once the turtle started talking I really wished for ear plugs! Even Enchanged Garden and The Palace were very noisy at dinner times. Everyone dressed nicely in the dining room all nights, but no one we saw wore anything formal or fancy. All staff were very good with the children and there were enough characters for everyone. Our Castaway Cay day was switched with our at sea day because of damage from Hurricane Irene. The only damage that was visible to us was foilage blackened from salt water spray. There were very few fish at the snorkeling beach. The adult beach was empty by the time we went there at 3pm; it was lovely and there were a few more fish there (but it really wasn't worth our bringing our snorkels with us). Nassau sustained some storm damage; the straw market was demolished. Our kids went to the Pirate Museum which they said was excellent. Disembarkation was truly a dream; we just ate breakfast and walked off the shipno awkward sitting around crammed into tight spaces as we've encountered on other cruises. I would do another Disney Cruise if my daughter asked, but I think it's more expensive than it should be.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Thanks for the review.

The storm must have displaced the fish because when we have snorkeled there many times there was a large abundance of fish in the snorkeling area, including a few very large types.

 

We enjoyed the pirate museum too. Sorry to hear about the straw market, it is a main shopping attraction for cruisers.

[Host Mick]

Thanks for the review.

The storm must have displaced the fish because when we have snorkeled there many times there was a large abundance of fish in the snorkeling area, including a few very large types.

 

We enjoyed the pirate museum too. Sorry to hear about the straw market, it is a main shopping attraction for cruisers.

 

Don't worry about them, they've been blown away and burned-down many times and they still keep rebuilding. Buy something the next time that you're there.

[eh2zed]

Thanks for the review