Quick Report from the Dream

[jlat]

Just got back from a 5 day double dip on the Dream. We had a great time and I am glad to have gone, but unless I got a really great deal on this 5 dayer, I wouldn't look at doing it again. I think though that I prefer the classic ships over the bigger ones, more intimate and the ship is laid out nicer. Without writing a terribly long and boring trip report of everything we did, here are just a few thoughts. I would be happy to answer any questions.

 

 

Pros

 

• Check in at the port was quick and easy.
  
• Was able to upgrade at the port to a bigger room and still stayed under budget
  
• Food was very good in the MDRs but never can get a good steak on a cruise ship
  
• Food in buffet and in quick service was okay, nothing to get excited about.
  
• Service was typical Disney
  
• Quiet Cove pool is very nice, the rest of the area, not so much.
  
• Castaway Cay is awesome and if you can get a Cabana you should
  
• Believe is a very good show as is The Golden Mickeys
  
• Remy is not to be believed and Palo is as good as ever.
  

 

Cons

 

• While Check-in was easy, boarding took an hour and a half.
  
• Layout of the ship is a bit confusing. Must go through buffet or adult areas to get too elevators from pool deck
  
• Quiet Cove Adult Area is anything but. Constant flow of people/kids coming from aft elevators directly into the area.
  
• Best Bar, “Currents” allows smoking.
  
• No live music in the clubs, only DJs. No live music on the pool decks, only live music in the atrium, same duo every night. Live music in the Quiet Cove (was pretty bad).
  
• Pirate party is not very good. No zipline Mickey. Too many people, too little space. Pirate buffet is in Cabanas
  
• Non-Crew based entertainment (magician) was awful.
  
• Villains show needs to be retired
  
• Animator’s Pallet is a big disappointment. The other MDRs are just okay, but cramped unless you have premium seating.
  

[iTinKso]

Thank you for the review! We will be on the Fantasy and to hear that Currents allows smoking is disheartening :eek: - we were planning to watch the fireworks from that area.

[vivavegas]

Glad you had a good cruise! Thanks for sharing your experiences!:)

[chipq]

Thanks for sharing your views.

 

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[BriarRose25]

We just got off the Dream today as well. I would agree with your assessments. For us (no kids) we thought that the entertainment was top notch. Villians show as okay, but certainly not as good as others. For those use to more open spaces, it was a bit cramped in the walkways and the traffic flow was poor (especially when there were a lot of kids around). We did not have any delays at check in or check out. Some quick additional thoughts:

 

Pros:

-Entertainment was excellent.

-Lots of character greetings.

-Excellent bar staff with great drinks. Skyline was our favorite. Prices on ship were also very reasonable.

-Great accommodations at Castaway Cay.

-Palos was excellent, but extremely rich (definitely ate too much).

-The tasting seminars were great. Learned a lot and were a good value.

-Service staff was excellent.

-Enjoyed the rotational dining.

-Spa was lovely. Signed up for the unlimited Rainforest room -definitely worth it.

-Funnel Vision was a really unique experience; as was The Duck.

-The other guests were great. Very friendly and like to chat.

-Room was nicely appointed. Had a cat 4E and really enjoyed the extended balcony.

-On demand movies in room had incredible selection (nearly every Disney movie known to man)

-As a group of all adults, were not overwhelmed by children and always felt there was something to do.

 

Cons:

-Traffic flow on ship a little awkward.

-Dining rooms were extremely cramped; dining room food was okay, but not as good as other cruises we have had.

-Cabanas was terrible; poor food and very oddly laid out;

-Very inconvenient if you want to get a glass of water, soda, or tea during non-Cabanas hours. Have to go up to the pool deck mid-ship.

-Adult pool was non-existent. Those with children also complained that the regular and kiddy pools were subpar.

-Pull out sofa bed in room for 3 was horrendous; almost unsleepable. I would seriously recommend bringing an egg crate as it has no padding or support.

-Pirate party can get very crowded so we skipped it and watched the fireworks from Meridian, which was quiet and lovely.

[Caymen]

What is Funnel Vision and The Duck?

[BriarRose25]

What is Funnel Vision and The Duck?

 

Funnel Vision is this neat thing out on the pool deck where there is a big jumbotron screen that plays Disney movies. You can sit in the pool and watch them or on chairs. Kind of like a drive in movie at sea. Very fun!

 

The Duck is the Aquaduck - the water coast at sea. Best done during days in port or in the evenings.

[Sea-hawk]

Was also on the cruise. Agree with most of what was said. Adult area was always full, noisy and had people walking through the whole time. The pool seemed smaller than the classic ships.

 

Remy was overpriced, more on that on my review later. They really put a basketball court on top of it? Who designed that!!??

 

Loved Palo still.

 

Pirate Party has changed, and not for the better.

 

Staff seemed tired.

 

Still loved Castaway Cay.

 

Food was ok.

 

Fast food station near adult area had no beverage station near by? Weird planning again.

 

Going back to the classic ship next month, will be interesting to compare.

[Aloha 1]

What is "premium seating" in the dining rooms?

[Linco711]

What is "premium seating" in the dining rooms?

 

I'd like to know that too???? I don't think there is such a thing..:rolleyes:

[Shmoo here]

I'd like to know that too???? I don't think there is such a thing..:rolleyes:

 

I think they're just referring to what they would consider to the best location within the dining room. Like the tables closest to the places Crush will actually talk to you, or where you can see the pictures best. Not really "premimum seats".

 

:)

[Aloha 1]

I think they're just referring to what they would consider to the best location within the dining room. Like the tables closest to the places Crush will actually talk to you, or where you can see the pictures best. Not really "premimum seats".

 

:)

 

And how, exactly do you score such tables??

[Shmoo here]

And how, exactly do you score such tables??

 

You can put a request on your reservation for a table location (around the edge, center of room, near door, etc) but you won't know for sure whether you got your request until you board and check with the dining changes desk as to location of your table. It's just a request, it may or may not be honored.

 

:)

[Aloha 1]

You can put a request on your reservation for a table location (around the edge, center of room, near door, etc) but you won't know for sure whether you got your request until you board and check with the dining changes desk as to location of your table. It's just a request, it may or may not be honored.

 

:)

 

Thanks!

[GrandCanyon2005]

Wow ... sad to hear. We booked a Suite, which has a non-refundable deposit. Our sole purpose in deciding to do this over another cruise was for the Quiet Cove Pool. I won't say anything about the music, but if kids and everyone are going to be trancing through the Quiet Cove Pool ... well, lets just say that I'm totally discouraged now. Hopefully, we will only have to bring it up once ... BUT, I shouldn't have to bring it up. We are in a Suite on the 11th Deck, right next to the Elevators, and it was my understanding that these Suites required a special key into the hallway, but if I understand this post right ... it sounds like hoards of people are going to be coming up through that elevator. If this is true, maybe that's why Disney has a non-refundable deposit on these Suites.

 

We actually cruise for the shows, food, and relaxation. Kinda been there done that, so we thought this would be a great alternative, with great shows, good food, and a true "Quiet Cove" Pool.

 

I'll definitely be posting a review after our January trip ... hope it's better than your experience, and hope we don't come back with a "shouldna been there shouldna done that" feeling. But, good/bad I will definitely be posting a review. Wish us luck!

[BonaireDoug]

Cons

 

• While Check-in was easy, boarding took an hour and a half.
  
• Layout of the ship is a bit confusing. Must go through buffet or adult areas to get too elevators from pool deck
  
• Quiet Cove Adult Area is anything but. Constant flow of people/kids coming from aft elevators directly into the area.
  
• Villains show needs to be retired
  
• Animator’s Pallet is a big disappointment. The other MDRs are just okay, but cramped unless you have premium seating.
  

 

This bothered me too, on the Dream. Then I sailed on the Magic in April, and realized that access from the pool deck to the forward elevators also requires passing by the quiet cove area. The big difference seems to be that the Mid elevator lobby on the Dream is somewhat hidden behind the stage and ice cream area, and the Magic has deck to ceiling dividers to dissuade people from continuing through Quiet cove.

Simply put, the Mid elevators are much easier to find on Magic and Wonder, so fewer people go to the forward ones.

As for going through cabanas when using the aft elevators - that is so true, and so stupid. Just dumb. What could they have been thinking?

[flygirl77]

Wow ... sad to hear. We booked a Suite, which has a non-refundable deposit. Our sole purpose in deciding to do this over another cruise was for the Quiet Cove Pool. I won't say anything about the music, but if kids and everyone are going to be trancing through the Quiet Cove Pool ... well, lets just say that I'm totally discouraged now. Hopefully, we will only have to bring it up once ... BUT, I shouldn't have to bring it up. We are in a Suite on the 11th Deck, right next to the Elevators, and it was my understanding that these Suites required a special key into the hallway, but if I understand this post right ... it sounds like hoards of people are going to be coming up through that elevator. If this is true, maybe that's why Disney has a non-refundable deposit on these Suites.

 

We actually cruise for the shows, food, and relaxation. Kinda been there done that, so we thought this would be a great alternative, with great shows, good food, and a true "Quiet Cove" Pool.

 

I'll definitely be posting a review after our January trip ... hope it's better than your experience, and hope we don't come back with a "shouldna been there shouldna done that" feeling. But, good/bad I will definitely be posting a review. Wish us luck!

 

We were on the Dream in December. After I booked it I thought to myself, what on earth have I done, this ship is going to be overrun by kids. However yes the layout is confussing at the front end, and we did have some families or kids passing through quiet cove from the elevators, but our experience was that it was minimal. We loved DCL so much we booked another one and will be trying the Wonder next week. Good Luck, I hope you enjoy yours.

[jlat]

Wow ... sad to hear. We booked a Suite, which has a non-refundable deposit. Our sole purpose in deciding to do this over another cruise was for the Quiet Cove Pool. I won't say anything about the music, but if kids and everyone are going to be trancing through the Quiet Cove Pool ... well, lets just say that I'm totally discouraged now. Hopefully, we will only have to bring it up once ... BUT, I shouldn't have to bring it up. We are in a Suite on the 11th Deck, right next to the Elevators, and it was my understanding that these Suites required a special key into the hallway, but if I understand this post right ... it sounds like hoards of people are going to be coming up through that elevator. If this is true, maybe that's why Disney has a non-refundable deposit on these Suites.

 

We actually cruise for the shows, food, and relaxation. Kinda been there done that, so we thought this would be a great alternative, with great shows, good food, and a true "Quiet Cove" Pool.

 

I'll definitely be posting a review after our January trip ... hope it's better than your experience, and hope we don't come back with a "shouldna been there shouldna done that" feeling. But, good/bad I will definitely be posting a review. Wish us luck!

 

The problem is the layout. Its just awkward. The elevators basically open up right at the Quiet Cove. There's also a stairway to the upper deck that comes down right in the middle of the area. I saw people wandering around looking for the buffet, kids heading to their rooms or just running about. Crew sorta watches out, but I never once saw them move anyone along. I wonder if that area wasn't supposed to be something else originally, and was converted to the Quiet Cove. When I look at the teen club (The Vibe), to me, that looks like where the Quiet Cove might possibly should have gone, and been a true adults only spot, but it is 3 decks way from everything else, so who knows.

The thing that bugged me was the live music being played there. Would have been okay I guess if he a) didn't use an amp. b) didn't sing. It just took away that whole "Quiet" vibe. Anyway, the misters in the pool are really neat and you can get right up to the bar without leaving the pool, which is also good. If you are in the concierge area you do have a key to get through the gate, but if you are in one of the other suites, it is not secluded.

[jlat]

What is "premium seating" in the dining rooms?

 

What I meant was in Royal Place and Enchanted Gardens, they have these nice high backed booths that sit about 6 people. Right down the middle of the main walkway. Good sightlines, but not cramped and easy to move around (ie take the kids to the bathrooms, or off to the clubs). The rest of the dining room is jammed with tables which makes it too loud for conversation. For Animators, there's only certain tables that get to participate with the Crush show, and you have to be right up against the screens for that. If you are in the middle of the room, you just are watching if you can even see, which to me, would be sort of boring. We never saw the Crush show since our first night there was Pirate night and they didn't do it. The second night they did a few of the animation drawings but seemed to be having some type of problem as they kept freezing up (I guess). Unlike the classic ships they don't flip from black and white to color during the evening either.

[GrandmaHofmann]

Remember that people have differing opinions, so don't get discouraged if you have booked a Disney cruise and you read negative things. I have read many negative things and agree with none other than the boarding is a nightmare. It takes FOREVER. We loved every minute of the cruise, including the pirate party, the great food, and marvelous entertainment and staff and the genuine care that everyone took with our grandsons. You will enjoy yourself.

[Aloha 1]

What I meant was in Royal Place and Enchanted Gardens, they have these nice high backed booths that sit about 6 people. Right down the middle of the main walkway. Good sightlines, but not cramped and easy to move around (ie take the kids to the bathrooms, or off to the clubs). The rest of the dining room is jammed with tables which makes it too loud for conversation. For Animators, there's only certain tables that get to participate with the Crush show, and you have to be right up against the screens for that. If you are in the middle of the room, you just are watching if you can even see, which to me, would be sort of boring. We never saw the Crush show since our first night there was Pirate night and they didn't do it. The second night they did a few of the animation drawings but seemed to be having some type of problem as they kept freezing up (I guess). Unlike the classic ships they don't flip from black and white to color during the evening either.

 

Ahh,thanks for the clarification.