!! DISNEY DREAM !! To Bahamas ^_^ The Ultimate Review and Complete Pictorial Guide

[gambee]

Thanks, Gambee, for another great review. After your Allure review, I thought that would be our next trip. Then I read the Silhouette one, which is what we're planning now. But after reading THIS one, I feel like gee, maybe we can squeeze in one on Disney before the kids are too old???

 

Either way, thank you for the effort you put in!

 

A disney cruise is the ultimate cruise for a child, I think there would be no other vacation that would come close for a child to what Disney has to offer on their ships. You should really consider this cruise for your kids.

[gambee]

Just caught up, first so sorry to her about Milo. Pets always hold a special spot in my heart.

 

Second, loved your sail away pictures. I've never seen what was around port as we are always at the sail away party.

 

Last, your underwater pictures of castaway cay look very nice. I will have to check out that camera.

 

Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us.

 

Thank you for the kind words, glad you enjoyed the sailaway pictures as well. I am really happy with the underwater camera, I think that one is a keeper.

[gambee]

Gambee great underwater pictures. Simply amazing. :)

 

Thank you :)

 

 

Gambee your report and pictures are amazing and will be great for a first timer on Disney to get a real feel of things on the Dream. Thank you for taking the time out to do this.

 

You're very welcome, glad you like it. I put a lot of work on my reviews to make sure that I cover enough information for all type of cruisers.

[gambee]

Excellent underwater shots! I am definitely picking up that camera to carry along with my 7D. I have also been wanting a Sony point & shoot as well so I will have to look into one like yours.

 

Thank you Wednesday, you will not regret it. She is a great little camera, very happy with her.

[gambee]

Gambee my friend are most of the pictures from Castaway Cay done with the RX100? If so I am sold on it for sure :)

 

Sorry Chris all of the pictures from that day were with either the NEX or the Olympus.

[gambee]

Awesome review. Thanks for sharing your pictures with us.

 

You're very welcome, glad you like it.

 

I actually went out and bought this camera because of the effect that you have shown in these pictures. Since I am a big Disney fan this effect is awesome. It is almost cartoonish....Can you give me any pointers on the camera.

 

 

That camera has the most intelligent auto mode that I have ever worked with. So for normal pictures just use the auto mode, you will not regret the results. For the illustration mode, the way I do it is that I set "P" mode on it and use that mode to shoot the illustration pictures. For all the other pictures I use auto or Auto+. Auto+ might yield slightly better results than auto, but it used more battery since it shoots sequences and uses all the pictures to make one clean picture.

[gambee]

gambee,

 

The underwater pics at SB are stunning!

Really looking forward to the next instalment!

 

ex techie

 

Thank you :)

 

First of all, as always your review is amazing!

 

You are completely right about Great Stirrup Cay, it is pathetic compared to Castaway Cay. I don't think I would bother getting off the ship again there, the entire time I wanted to be back on Castaway Cay. The tram is such a great touch, especially because it is wheelchair accessible. Castaway Cay is actually really great in terms of accessibility, which is good for me :D. Glad you seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. It really is a slice of paradise. Disney does everything top notch. I hope I get the chance to return one day.

 

I don't think I could say enough good things about Castaway Cay, we really enjoyed our time there. Can't wait to go back one day.

[gambee]

gambee,

 

Your pictures are amazing!

 

The ones you took under water are gorgeous!

 

Eileen

 

Thank you :)

 

Gambee,

 

I agree with you about the food. It was fine but I would NOT cruise Disney again for the food. I WOULD cruise it again for the entertainment, and Castaway Cay. SIGH!

 

Question about snorkeling. Where was the snorkeling? We brought our gear on the cruise and never used it. I am sad I missed out on it.

 

Thank you again for your review.

 

I snorkeled on the adult area, just very far out. But castaway cay has the lagoon area which is Disney themed underwater. But I think the water is clear enough to see a good variety of fish on any of the beaches. I even saw some people snorkeling in the sports bay area closer to the ship.

[gambee]

Gambee, I was excited to see your underwater pictures! Ihope I will be able to at least come close to what you have done with my Olympus, but I'm no where close to being the photographer that you are.

 

I am wondering what setting you were using. There seem to be 3 different underwater settings. I believe I have read that if I just use AUTO that will work, too. I plan to do some more practice in the pool this week with my snorkel gear on so I will be used to using it in the water.

 

I'm sorry you missed the really good snorkeling at Castaway Cay. Their snorkel lagoon is themed as only Disney can do. The various artifacts they have submerged there provide homes to a wide variety of sea creatures. Mickey and Minnie are also there. All of the best spots are marked with bouys, so they are easy to find. You do have to wear a snorkel vest in the lagoon, but they are free if you have your own snorkel gear. I do try to avoid the crowds that the snorkel lagoon tends to draw. I'm not a morning person, so I tend to go late in the day, knowing I will never manage to beat the crowd. If I'm lucky the sediment stirred up by the crowds has settled by the time I get there. Somehow, my luck has been really good so far and I've done some amazing snorkeling there. I even saw a sea turtle last year. At first I thought it was a statue that Disney has placed there. When it started moving and eventually swam away, I knew it was real!

 

I am really enjoying your Disney Dream review. I wish you had been able to do a longer cruise, so I would have a longer review to look forward to reading.

 

A turtle? thats really neat!

 

I used the underwater setting and always fired the flash underwater. I believe I set on the action underwater mode. The key is not to move and just wait for the fish to move around you, that is your best chance at getting them nice and clear. I shot a lot of pictures, but only posted the ones that I really liked.

 

I am sure you will do just fine, just play with the settings a little and try to have a steady hand.

[gambee]

Gambee I feel your pain. I'm the president of a cocker spaniel rescue. We rescue cockers from Georgia to Maine. Your baby was beautiful. Check us out. lifeslittlepaws.com.

 

Hugs...

 

Very nice webpage, I admire the work you do. Rescues do such great work for animals. I still miss him dearly, but I know he is in a better place now.

 

Thank you for posting :)

[S.C.]

Great underwater pics! Is there a clicking sound at all with the Olympus while taking movies? One of the reviews on Amazon said theirs did am hoping they just got a bad one and that it is not normal for all of them.

[gambee]

Great underwater pics! Is there a clicking sound at all with the Olympus while taking movies? One of the reviews on Amazon said theirs did am hoping they just got a bad one and that it is not normal for all of them.

 

I have not noticed it on mine, I took a few videos with mine.

[Gershep]

Gambee, In the MDR can you order more than one entree if you want? I don't like Nassau either, I would rather spend that extra day on Disney's private island.

[cruzinlady1947]

I had no trouble seeing the videos either. They were great. I love the video tours. Makes me feel like I am on the ship. :p If only I would have been. :( Thanks for doing this.

 

Now, when is your next cruise and what ship will I be touring? LOL

 

Gwen :)

[TravlGrl]

Your video links worked for me as well. ;) Regarding the cabanas in Serenity Bay, it's highly unlikely they were closed. It's more likely that people took their time getting to their cabanas since they were reserved (at a very high cost), and there was no urgency to get to a cabana that was waiting for you. We toured a cabana in Serenity Bay while we were there, and several appeared to be available, but when we asked, our attendant said that people just hadn't checked in yet. We got to Serenity Bay first thing in the morning, and stayed until the very last tram. At that point, all cabanas were occupied by the late sleepers who arrived to the island later in the day.

 

Something else to note about the buffet options on Castaway Cay, the buffet at Serenity Bay has a larger menu than all other buffets on the island. Additionally, they offer a vegetarian item that is not on the menu (but you need to ask for it). It is cooked separately to avoid cross-contamination with animal products.

 

As two adults traveling without kids, we can confirm that Disney Dream is an EXCELLENT option for adults, and Disney really does it right with Serenity Bay. You provided some nice pics of that area, and luckily got to enjoy it before the rain hit!

Edited August 25, 2013 by TravlGrl

[BugsyCruiser]

Sorry Chris all of the pictures from that day were with either the NEX or the Olympus.

 

No problem my friend. The NEX is still a great camera and those pictures turned out as good as the other ones you take :)

[ncklhaus]

Haha, you followed the shoes story, yeah she bought another pair of shoes. Thank you for following along, glad you like the illustration mode.

That's too funny. When I saw the picture with the shrimp on the floor, I said to myself "I really need to get me a pair of those." I have been meaning to since the last review.

[monkey_wants_banana]

Gambee, first off, you are a horrible person.

 

I am supposed to be doing other things but cannot as I am simply obsessed with your review and pictures. Damn you.

 

Secondly, how would you rate Disney vs Allure for adults/couples? I been waiting patiently on your website for you to release a breakdown but you haven't yet, and am trying to decide whether to go Allure or Dream.

[Quench]

Gambee, first off, you are a horrible person.

 

I am supposed to be doing other things but cannot as I am simply obsessed with your review and pictures. Damn you.

 

Secondly, how would you rate Disney vs Allure for adults/couples? I been waiting patiently on your website for you to release a breakdown but you haven't yet, and am trying to decide whether to go Allure or Dream.

 

 

LOL! You should see the piles of laundry in my house and it's all Gambee's fault!:)

[Quench]

Gambee, do you remember what time you returned back to the ship? Want to avoid lines for the Aqua Duck.

[gambee]

Gambee, In the MDR can you order more than one entree if you want? I don't like Nassau either, I would rather spend that extra day on Disney's private island.

 

Yeah as many as you want, I was offered more entrees several times. Trust me with Disney food is not a problem, you want it? No problem, you'll get it. I think I agree with you with the idea of spending extra time in Castaway Cay rather than Nassau. That would be really neat.

[gambee]

I had no trouble seeing the videos either. They were great. I love the video tours. Makes me feel like I am on the ship. :p If only I would have been. :( Thanks for doing this.

 

Now, when is your next cruise and what ship will I be touring? LOL

 

Gwen :)

 

I am not really sure, I have a few things to take care before I attempt another cruise. But it is fair to say that I have the Breeze and Royal Princess in my sight, after that I am most likely going back to Disney. Who knows, I think they are giving the remodeled Disney Magic to Miami for the Winter so you might see me aboard that ship too. The options are in the air :).

 

HAL is also an option, but maybe after that group of ships.

[gambee]

Your video links worked for me as well. ;) Regarding the cabanas in Serenity Bay, it's highly unlikely they were closed. It's more likely that people took their time getting to their cabanas since they were reserved (at a very high cost), and there was no urgency to get to a cabana that was waiting for you. We toured a cabana in Serenity Bay while we were there, and several appeared to be available, but when we asked, our attendant said that people just hadn't checked in yet. We got to Serenity Bay first thing in the morning, and stayed until the very last tram. At that point, all cabanas were occupied by the late sleepers who arrived to the island later in the day.

 

Something else to note about the buffet options on Castaway Cay, the buffet at Serenity Bay has a larger menu than all other buffets on the island. Additionally, they offer a vegetarian item that is not on the menu (but you need to ask for it). It is cooked separately to avoid cross-contamination with animal products.

 

As two adults traveling without kids, we can confirm that Disney Dream is an EXCELLENT option for adults, and Disney really does it right with Serenity Bay. You provided some nice pics of that area, and luckily got to enjoy it before the rain hit!

 

Thank you for adding this information to the review. We really enjoyed Serenity Bay, I absolutely love that area. With Gods will I will return there one day and spend all day there this time around.

 

Disney is an Amazing cruise line! Kids or no Kids aboard, I honestly think that everyone should at least do one Disney cruise to experience it.

[gambee]

That's too funny. When I saw the picture with the shrimp on the floor, I said to myself "I really need to get me a pair of those." I have been meaning to since the last review.

 

Lol, it was a crab claw :D. But yeah she loves her shoes. She advices to keep them out of water, it tends to ruin them.

[gambee]

Gambee, first off, you are a horrible person.

 

I am supposed to be doing other things but cannot as I am simply obsessed with your review and pictures. Damn you.

 

Secondly, how would you rate Disney vs Allure for adults/couples? I been waiting patiently on your website for you to release a breakdown but you haven't yet, and am trying to decide whether to go Allure or Dream.

 

The rating part will come at the end of the review, I will post it here before I post it on my site. I haven't even wrote it yet, although I am very sure of what the outcome will be in the end. They are two complete different products, and it is hard to compare them side to side. But it is fair to say that as an overall product I prefer the Disney.