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

[gambee]

There was some live music up there. Maybe a handful of us enjoying it, it was really nice and calm up there.

 

 

I think after an hour, we went back to the room. My mom and Sarah were going to go to the Karaoke, and I to get my NEX camera to do my evening photo shoot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 27, 2013 by gambee

[gambee]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gambee]

 

 

 

 

 

[gambee]

 

 

 

 

I guess at some point I went back to the room, my mom and Sarah were back from Karaoke and they said it was dead. I guess made the right choice by not going.

 

We went back out because there was one more area that I wanted to check out. It is located in the FWD funnel of the ship. This area overlooks the adult area of the ship, it is called the Outlook. I also believe this area can be rented out private meetings.

 

 

 

 

[gambee]

 

 

 

One deck below is a kid area, so there were a few kids running up and down between the 2 areas.

 

 

After that we went to purchase the picture of the AquaDuck for my mom, we ordered it and we just had to pick it up in the morning.

 

 

That is pretty much it for our last day, we went back to the room to finish packing and went to bed.

 

Day 3, Ending.

 

[gambee]

Day 4, Debarkation.

 

 

I woke up so early like at 4:30am and could not go back to sleep, so I just started working on my pictures. At around 8:00am we left the room to have breakfast at the buffet, they only open one side that morning. But they have all the options that they offer on the other days. You can also go to the MDR that you went on your last night.

 

 

I think it took us 5 minutes from the minute I step foot on dry land, to be out of the terminal. It was just a very fast and organized process. Definitely the easiest that I have ever done!

 

I tried getting my camera really fast to get a picture of their buses, they are really neat. They have portholes as windows.

 

 

 

The only issue that day was that we did wait about 40 minutes for the bus of the parking place to come pick us up. In addition to that I was very disappointed by the security of the Parking area, there was no checkpoint or nothing. Fortunately nothing bad happened to our vehicle. The drive home was uneventful, and fast.

 

 

I will now work on the conclusion and rating, and post it later on today. I hope everyone enjoyed the review :).

 

[janeyzee]

 

 

That is the best picture!! Love it, looks like Mickey wants to dive into the ocean. Made me smile.

[Seattle@heart]

Wonderful review and fabulous pictures as usual! I now want that camera with the Illustration mode ~ those pics are so fun!! So glad you enjoyed Disney :)

Edited August 27, 2013 by Seattle@heart

[janeyzee]

Anyway I guess eventually we made it to Animator's Palate. I have to admit this is by far my favorite restaurant. It just follows the disney concept in every way possible. It is just a very a fun restaurant.

 

 

Totally agree with that. We loved Animators Palate and we're both well over 50. Brought out the kid in us!! We were there during Pirate Night and lots of families were dressed up, made it even better.

Edited August 27, 2013 by janeyzee

[juneybugel]

Hi Gambee...thanks again for another fabulous review! I really enjoyed it. As we do not have children, Disney is a cruiseline I would likely never have considered but have now been able to have a sneak peak! Thanks for sharing with us and for all your hard work on these reviews.

 

Good timing that we were in need of a camera and being a Sony girl myself, just purchased the Sony NEX-3N. We're in Canada and all the NEX-F3's are sold out around these parts. I will be spending the next week taking pictures and playing around with the camera. Now we need a new underwater camera as well as we had waterproof casing with the old one. Hmmm..wonder what we'll buy?!! :D I'm sure it will be something black and red..heehee...that Olympus Tough gets pretty amazing reviews.

 

Looking forward to your next cruise (and Hi to Mom of course).

 

Rhonda

[janeyzee]

 

I thought I'd seen every ear on that ship but I've noticed so many in your photos that I had never seen. Love the Emergency Exit ears!

[TrishOB]

Gambee, I have been enjoying very much your report and photos of the Disney Dream. My husband and I are taking his parents on the Dream in January for their 50th anniversary, and this thread has made me anxious for the date to come sooner! We haven't been on a Disney Cruise in nearly 10 years, so I'm looking forward to seeing the new ships. Even more so now that I've seen your photos and videos!

 

I feel I must correct your assertion that the Sony RX100 camera is the only one to have the Illustration Mode. My WX100, also a Sony, has it as well, I can set it to low, medium, or high illustration effect. I haven't played with it much, but having seen it put to an interesting effect in your photos, I may play with it some more.

 

Thanks for a great review, looking forward to reading the rest!

[kkorman]

After snorkeling I went to apply another coat of sunblock and lay on the lounger to rest from the swim. It was then that Sarah grabbed the snorkeling equipment and went for a swim, I told her where to go to see the most fish.

 

 

 

The resort attendant came and offered us a happy hour special it $3.75 for a mimosa, screwdriver or a bloody Mary. I got a bloody Mary it was SUPER SPICY, but tasty and my mom got a mimosa.

 

 

Here is the beach at full capacity that day, keep in mind we were sailing on a full ship.

 

 

 

 

 

What's up with your foot fetish? You photograph your feet daily, but never show the man behind the extensive reviews? ;)

 

Your underwater camera takes fantastic photos... Glad you like this one.

[TravlGrl]

What's up with your foot fetish? You photograph your feet daily, but never show the man behind the extensive reviews? ;)

 

Your underwater camera takes fantastic photos... Glad you like this one.

HAHAHA! I was wondering the same thing! Lots of feet pics in this review. Maybe it's because the pictures are so clear and almost illuminating, that it feels like there's an over abundance of feet pics? :confused: Agreed, good underwater camera~!

[gambee]

Gambee, I have been enjoying very much your report and photos of the Disney Dream. My husband and I are taking his parents on the Dream in January for their 50th anniversary, and this thread has made me anxious for the date to come sooner! We haven't been on a Disney Cruise in nearly 10 years, so I'm looking forward to seeing the new ships. Even more so now that I've seen your photos and videos!

 

I feel I must correct your assertion that the Sony RX100 camera is the only one to have the Illustration Mode. My WX100, also a Sony, has it as well, I can set it to low, medium, or high illustration effect. I haven't played with it much, but having seen it put to an interesting effect in your photos, I may play with it some more.

 

Thanks for a great review, looking forward to reading the rest!

 

That's some good info, I hope they start deploying it on all their cameras. I would love to have it on my NEX camera and apply it to some fisheye pictures. I imagine also the RX200 should have it as well.

[gambee]

Hi Gambee...thanks again for another fabulous review! I really enjoyed it. As we do not have children, Disney is a cruiseline I would likely never have considered but have now been able to have a sneak peak! Thanks for sharing with us and for all your hard work on these reviews.

 

Good timing that we were in need of a camera and being a Sony girl myself, just purchased the Sony NEX-3N. We're in Canada and all the NEX-F3's are sold out around these parts. I will be spending the next week taking pictures and playing around with the camera. Now we need a new underwater camera as well as we had waterproof casing with the old one. Hmmm..wonder what we'll buy?!! :D I'm sure it will be something black and red..heehee...that Olympus Tough gets pretty amazing reviews.

 

Looking forward to your next cruise (and Hi to Mom of course).

 

Rhonda

 

Enjoy your 3N, the size of that camera is just great! Specially when paired with the electronic zoom lens.

[gambee]

That is the best picture!! Love it, looks like Mickey wants to dive into the ocean. Made me smile.

 

I thought that picture came out really neat, thanks for commenting on it.

[gambee]

Great reviews and awesome pics, thanks! I have the Canon Powershot D10 as my underwater camera and want to replace it as the lens fogs quite a bit. Do you eve experience that with the Olympus? The pics you're posting taken with it look great.

 

Not on this trip, not sure if it might be an issue later on. I know my Sony TX had that issue, it took forever to get the lens cleared up.

[gambee]

Gamble,

Once again you are doing an outstanding job. You got me hooked with your review of the Allure as we are traveling soon on the Oasis. But first we will be on our favorite ship, the Dream, so I have enjoyed this review even more. I have read many trip reports on CC and TA, and no one comes close to capturing the feeling of "being there" as you do. Your photography skills are legendary at this point. You are nonjudgmental, informative, and your reviews are just plain fun to read. Those of us who are mothers also appreciate the genuine affection you show for your mom. Not only should cruise lines be offering you a free cruise, but Target should be grateful as well. I happened upon a very good deal today as I (almost) passed by the camera department. There it was, the Sony Nex F3... On sale for $399. They even gave me an extra 10% off because it was the last one and I took the display model. :p

 

Enjoy the camera, she is a very fun camera. I actually very happy that I have kept it this long. I will not denny it, I am constantly looking for a different camera, but I have yet to find one that comes close to this one.

 

Thank you for kind comment :)

[gambee]

Gambee, you are amazing! Your reviews are amazing. I was so excited to see that you had a new review, I started dancing in my seat.

I never considered a Disney Cruise before, and now I am begging my husband to do one next year.

 

Keep up the good work, we really appreciate it!

 

Thank you =)

 

You should definitely look into a Disney Cruise, at the very least a short one. I think even though this cruise was one of the shortest ones, it is possible the most memorable one of them all.

[gambee]

Gambee- First, great review so far, and your videos were terrific!! I have been telling EVERYBODY ( mostly RCI Pax because we cruise them the most) that they must try a Disney Cruise just once- they always say, "oh, it' sooo expensive", or, " too many kids" or "what are we ( adults) going to do on Disney?"..for the record, the 3 night Valentine's Day cruise we did on the Allure this past Feb., was just as expensive as our FOUR night Dream cruise upcoming in Nov... .like I said, my wife & I went on the Disney Wonder in '06 for only 3 nights like you, and we loved it...in fairness to what others say about $$, Disney doesn't seem to discount much- very few cruises at a Senior rate, or AAA, or Florida Resident, or even past guest.. I want to try and go someday on the Disney Fantasy for a full week, but it is pretty $$...next up is the 5 night Oasis Halloween cruise in Oct. '14...but I know you saw the QUALITY of their ships, cabins are great, buffet great, service great, and like you, we thought Castaway Cay was fantastic...after all it is Disney!!

 

Alan

 

Thanks Alan.

 

I have to agree their product goes unrivaled by any other cruise line that I have been on. It was truly an amazing experience, I can honestly say that I cant wait till my next Disney cruise.

[gambee]

We did back-to-backs a few weeks ago, and gosh...we missed a ton of stuff!

 

We have been to 25ish Caribbean islands, and I thought the Serenity Bay area of Castaway Cay held up very well to beaches we have enjoyed the most. It's fantastic. My husband didn't snorkel in the area with the underwater features, but went out to an area near one of the sandbars off Serenity Bay. He saw a live conch and then a barracuda. And then he came back. :eek:

 

Beautiful pictures, thank you for sharing. :)

 

Thank you for commenting :)

 

I heard someone say they also saw the barracuda, but no luck for me. Maybe if I stayed longer in the water my chances would of been better. Next time :D

[gambee]

Conclusion, Rating and Final Thoughts

 

 

 

 

 

Food 9/10

 

The food aboard the Disney Dream was mostly excellent! The buffet is by far the best buffet that I have ever experienced to date of any ship. They offer an incredible amount of options that just make eating every meal in there a very viable option. The food in the MDR was very good, some of it rivaled the food of for fee restaurants of other ships. I can only imagine what the food is like in their specialty restaurants. The room service has a nice menu with good selections, and most of the food was very good, possibly the best I have ever had from room service.

 

One thing is for sure, you wont go hungry on a Disney cruise. There is just so much food coming from all angles, and so many different choices. I will admit that Disney is the first cruise were I have ever gained weight. I am usually very good when it comes to self control with eating. But Disney proved a real challenge, and I just had to eat more and more. Thumbs up for Disney! Thumbs down for Gambee, as a result I am now on a diet :(

 

 

Cabin 9/10

 

The cabin in the Dream is by far the best cabin I have been in a ship. The split bathroom concept is a really addition that makes traveling with more than 2 people much easier. The decoration of the room follows the Disney concept without overdoing it too much. But it is the minor touches that make the room so comfortable and enjoyable. I also love the curtain that splits the room in half, it is a very nice touch that adds some privacy to those small rooms. The safe is much larger than your average safe, while I did not put my computer inside it, I am still sure that it will fit. There also seemed to be slightly more storage than your average room. You also have to keep in mind that Disney's staterooms are larger than the industry average. The bed was also very comfortable and plush, although the same cannot be said about the pullout bed.

 

The only reason I am not giving this cabin a 10 is because the bed does not split into 2 beds. That is something that is crucial for me since I mostly travel with my mom and we always get our beds split. But overall Disney did a great job at making a tight environment very comfortable and efficient. I also think I am holding that 10/10 score for when I get to travel on a suite :D.

 

 

Cabin TV System & Internet 9/10

 

The TV system is the best I have ever had on a ship, mainly for the incredible selection of movies at no cost. They could use a little better programming in the non-on demand channels. But honestly if you ran out of movies to watch, the odds are that you never left your cabin on several B2B cruises. Another incredible feature is that they stream the shows live, so if for some reason you're feeling ill or lazy, you can still see all the shows. I am taking a point off because you're not allowed to order room service from the TV system.

 

The internet was extremely fast, I am not sure if it was because we were docked in Castaway cay, but in any case is the best ship internet I have used. I guess the same argument can be said about the internet on Celebrity while it was on Labadee and I could not even get online…

 

 

Pools, Jacuzzis & Adult Only Area 9/10

 

Scoring this area is rather complicated. Let me start by the adult area, I think this is possibly my favorite adult area. I loved the jacuzzis and how they were open to the side of the ship and they had the glass bottoms. The pool was also very nice, this is by far the cruise that I have used the pool the most. I think it was because of the way the pool is divided into 3 different areas, allowing you to really relax in whatever area you like at that time. Plus the wet bar is a really nice addition to that area. There is maybe a lack of loungers for seadays in that area, but in our case it never proved to be a problem. They also had live music on several occasions, I have never seen live music on any adult area on any other ship. If I was scoring the adult area I think this would be a perfect 10/10. One thing to note is that there is a lack of a covered solarium, so this would not be my ship of choice for a cold weather trip. But then again the Dream is mostly in warm weather.

 

However the other 2 pools can get very congested, but I guess not so much more than other cruises. It was never an issue for me since I go strictly to the adult area, but I am just pointing out for those with children to be aware off.

 

 

Activities (for Adults) 7/10

 

Lets face it this is a Disney ship, and you can look yourself the amount of activities offered for adults are not that much. I never encountered a problem finding something to do, but then again I am fairly easy to please. Just give me a jacuzzi, a drink, some music, a camera and I am happy. But this might be an issue for some people, specially those on longer cruises. I still think that I would be just fine on 7 day cruise, there is enough for me to do to stay happy an occupied. But I think that overall disney could improve in this area a little more. I think the main problem is that there is not enough adults without kids to do other activities. As proved when we went to the Trivia and it was less than half full or the empty Karaoke.

 

In any case I am just pointing something out, but I think most people will be just fine. There is certainly enough to keep you happy and entertained.

 

 

Shows 9/10

 

At times I think I should stop reviewing shows since I never see them. But then again as long as I have my mom to review them for me I think I am fine. Both my mom and Sarah said that their shows were extremely well done, from the costumes to the change of sets every so often. I will take it from them that the shows were better than the breakaway, I am not sure why I gave the breakaway 8/10 (it should be less). But I did, so it is far to put Disney a notch above at 9/10.

 

 

Bars & Lounges 7/10

 

Personally I was not a fan of how Disney did the bars on the Dream they are like dark little rooms with few ocean views. I did however like the Skyline lounge & the pool bar in the adult area. So I think this is a fair score, there was really nothing special about the bars on the Dream. I would also like to note that there is a lack of bar environment, mainly because Disney allows to bring alcohol. I kind of think this is something that they thought carefully. Think about it, they want to keep the Disney family friendly concept. If they have a lot of drunk people on bars it would take that a level down. But if people are privately drinking on their own they never get a chance to congregate and get loud and obnoxious. Plus I think most parents are focused on their children, more than anything else.

 

 

Ship Decor & Elegance 10/10

 

Since you walk into the ship you know you're in a Disney ship. The ships has really clean lines, and just the right amount of Disney. The attention to detail is incredible, everything is so bright and colorful, and at the same time it feels like you're on a 5 star resort. This concept follows everywhere in the ship (except the district) and it just flows very well. At night the ship still remains very bright and the pool lighting is done exquisitely, I absolutely loved it! This is one ship that you will love just walking around and noticing all the little Disney details that are slightly hidden from the eye. Add to that the right type of light music in different areas of the ship, and you feel like your in wonderland…

 

 

Unique Area - Disney Theme 10/10

 

The ship does not really have 1 unique area, but you instead have to see the entire ship as being unique! Disney has a specific market that they target, and they deliver an incredible product. In our case we went on a Disney cruise because we love Disney, and as a result you want to feel that you're on a Disney ship all the time. The entire ship is full of unique areas, from the enormous kids club, to the AquaDuck everything follows the Disney concept at a perfect rate. Almost every area in this ship was done differently than all the other ships I have been in. The addition of the Disney element just makes everything so much better.

 

In addition to that the entire ship is Themed, from the Nemo Buffet, the 3 different MDRs, the pools, the water slide and even some bars. The variation of those themes just makes exploring the ship such a fun thing to do. Next time I go I have to go and play the detective gave so I can experience more of the ship.

 

 

Service 10/10

 

It is fair to say that Disney's service is the benchmark for all the other cruise lines that I have been on. NCL for should be taking notes and putting their employees through a more rigorous process on how to treat customers. I also spoke to a few crew members that all expressed the same feeling, working for Disney has been their best experience in the cruise line industry. Maybe by taking extra care of your staff that shows in how they handle your guests. We never encountered any issues with the staff at all. I also noticed that this cruise never had a line for the customer service desk, and you rarely saw people there. I could not say enough good things about the crew in Disney Cruise Line.

 

 

 

Total Score and Conclusion 89 out of 100

 

I have admit that I was a little disappointed when I saw that this cruise fell below 90 points, but the scores were fairly given. Even though this cruise was only 3 days long this is my favorite cruise so far and possibly the most memorable one. Disney offers a product that is unraveled by any of the other cruise lines that I have been on. The problem with the Disney cruise is that it comes at a premium cost, but in all honesty I believe the cost is well justified.

 

To us Disney offered us a different way of cruising, everything was impeccable, and at the same time it was loaded with a fun factor x10. Non other cruise line has yet been able to deliver that for me.

 

I have a new favorite cruise line, and its Disney Cruise Line! Now don't get me wrong RCCL is still a close second, but Disney just stole my heart. I will be looking for when we are able to do our next Disney Cruise. I would love to go on a 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise Disney Style, but only God knows if that will be possible and when.

 

I guess that is it for now. We are not entirely sure when, where or which cruise line will be next. But some good contenders are the Carnival Breeze and Royal Princess, we will see what the future has destined.

 

 

 

 

Thank you everyone who was a part of this review.

 

I really appreciate everyone taking the time to read and comment throughout the review. I had a lot of fun with this review and experimenting with the new cameras.

 

 

 

 

Until Next time! ^_^

 

 

[theshowmestate]

Get cruising soon, I have loved your Dream report (we've done the Fantasy and the Wonder and are doing the Dream in March). I've checked out your site for other lines. I feel like I'm on vacation! You're providing quite a service to everyone through your hobby. Happy Sailing!

[Wriggler]

Thank you so much for this Gambee...I've enjoyed reading every word and looking at all the photos. Can't wait til I can sail along with you again

 

Take care my friend

 

Carol :D