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

[dreamer976]

You know the reason that I say that the X S-Class ships are perfect, is mainly because of the enclosed solarium. Even on those cold days my mom and I could enjoy the hot tub at a good air temperature. I also think a few HAL ships offer that as well.

 

I have looked at itineraries before, but I noticed that the one way itineraries usually have high travel air costs. I am not sure I would be able to pull that one off, I might have to start saying for that trip ;)

 

Ah, yes - I do remember how much you loved that area. On RCL's Radiance of the Seas, which is the ship they've been using for their one-ways, they added a Park Cafe into the Solarium. Park Cafe is great, but it is a VERY popular place to go grab a great salad, sandwich, panini, whatever and has made the solarium into a busy and sometimes noisy place - and you are right, Gambee, the solarium, which used to be quiet, warm, humid and VERY tropical, was no longer warm and comforting, what with the doors to the outside being almost constantly opened. That ruined the solarium on that class of ships for me.

 

Ellen

[summeristhebest]

Gambee! Thank you so much for another amazing review! With all the great pictures I feel like I was on the Dream with you! Hope you enjoy many more cruises with many more excellent reviews in the future!!! :):):):):)

[reigle4]

After reading your review and reliving my Disney Dream cruise I couldn't stand it anymore and just booked for the end of this month. This is the most last minute thing I have ever done....I am such a planner at heart so this is way out of the box for me.....

[gambee]

Gambee! Thank you so much for another amazing review! With all the great pictures I feel like I was on the Dream with you! Hope you enjoy many more cruises with many more excellent reviews in the future!!! :):):):):)

 

You're very welcome, glad you enjoyed reading it. :)

[gambee]

After reading your review and reliving my Disney Dream cruise I couldn't stand it anymore and just booked for the end of this month. This is the most last minute thing I have ever done....I am such a planner at heart so this is way out of the box for me.....

 

Lol, that's funny. I think the Dream is also the most last time cruise I have ever booked. I have planned other types of trips with lesser notice, but never a cruise that late :D.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Edited September 5, 2013 by gambee

[Bostonjetset]

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! ^_^

 

 

 

Thanks for ANOTHER fabulous review, Gambee!!! I really enjoyed reading it and now I am dying to try a Disney ship! I will be on the Breakaway later this month and can't wait to see in person all the things you reviewed.

 

Well done and please take another trip soon so we can all get our Gambee fix! haha :D

[loyalroyal17]

Hi Gambee!

Just wanted to say how much I loved your review! I grew up always going to Disney World every year and that will always have a special place in my heart. After all, they keep adding on, so you need to go back to keep up! Your review makes me want to try a Disney ship, and also try an aft balcony. Hopefully one day! My husband and I have a 2-week vacation planned for San Diego and Las Vegas for January 2014, then Quantum 12-night for January 2015. Unfortunately he doesn't get much time off from work, but maybe we can squeeze a 3-night Dream cruise in there! One can hope! Hope to see another Gambee review in the near future. Your fans are anxiously awaiting! :)

[dpcmh]

Thank you for this amazing review!!! I first got excited about going on a cruise after reading your RCCL review. My partner and I are booked on our first ever cruise next April on the Disney Wonder for 5-nights. I have been sooo excited, but my other half is just humoring me and not really feeling it. Your review has done wonders to get him excited too and realize what an awesome experience it will be! We LOVED your CC coverage!!! We are HUGE WDW fans - your comments about being adults only on a Disney cruise were so helpful! I can't wait!!!!!!!!!! ...I'm already trying to figure out how we can do a 7-night Fantasy Eastern too.....

[Dukemstr]

First wanted to say thanks for such a lovely review, made me remember the good time I had on both the Fantasy and Dream.

 

2 Questions:

 

1. How did they raised and lowered the flag every time? did someone enter you stateroom to take the flag or what?

 

2. Did you mad an on board booking? you should, it get you 10% off and 200$ of OBC and is totally refundable if you change your mind.

 

You would definitely love the Fantasy more, there is a satellite fall adult area on top front of deck 12 with Tons of chair. and the adult area (EUROPA) is much more bright and better organised than the dark catacombs of Dreams.

 

thanks!

 

Dukemstr

Edited September 7, 2013 by Dukemstr

[sarahecohen]

First wanted to say thanks for such a lovely review, made me remember the good time I had on both the Fantasy and Dream.

 

2 Questions:

 

1. How did they raised and lowered the flag every time? did someone enter you stateroom to take the flag or what?

 

2. Did you mad an on board booking? you should, it get you 10% off and 200$ of OBC and is totally refundable if you change your mind.

 

You would definitely love the Fantasy more, there is a satellite fall adult area on top front of deck 12 with Tons of chair. and the adult area (EUROPA) is much more bright and better organised than the dark catacombs of Dreams.

 

thanks!

 

Dukemstr

 

They raised and lowered it above us. It was probably done by a few decks above.

[Tralfie]

Talk about saving the best for last! Those pictures of the boat after dark from your last night were absolutely gorgeous. Stunning.

 

Fantastic review, Gambee. Stumbling upon your reviews of Breakaway and Dream (the two ships I have booked for 2014) has been the highlight of my time on Cruise Critic.

 

Tralfie/Richard

[polkadots]

Hi Gambee

 

I logged in to cruisecritic today for the first time in a while thinking surely you'd been on the Breeze by now and I could read your review. I was so surprised to see you went on this ship instead! I'm sorry your plans for the Breeze fell through, and even more sorry to hear about Milo. What a beautiful dog - I am glad his pain is over even though it is still hard for you to go on without him.

 

I really enjoyed this review. I don't have kids, and don't plan to have them, so I had never considered Disney as a viable future cruise option. Now, maybe, I will! Your pictures were all fantastic and your commentary wonderful. I only wish I had noticed from the beginning that I could click through to your website to read the whole thing without the comments from others in the middle! (Now I know for next time!)

 

Thank you for sharing your trip with us!

[gambee]

Hi Gambee!

Just wanted to say how much I loved your review! I grew up always going to Disney World every year and that will always have a special place in my heart. After all, they keep adding on, so you need to go back to keep up! Your review makes me want to try a Disney ship, and also try an aft balcony. Hopefully one day! My husband and I have a 2-week vacation planned for San Diego and Las Vegas for January 2014, then Quantum 12-night for January 2015. Unfortunately he doesn't get much time off from work, but maybe we can squeeze a 3-night Dream cruise in there! One can hope! Hope to see another Gambee review in the near future. Your fans are anxiously awaiting! :)

 

Thank you for visiting the Disney Forum and reading my review. You should really look into a Disney Cruise, they really offer a unique product that I am sure you will love. We will see, I still have hopes for that Breeze cruise, but I just have to wait and see when it will be possible for me to do it. Once again thanks for reading :)

[gambee]

Thank you for this amazing review!!! I first got excited about going on a cruise after reading your RCCL review. My partner and I are booked on our first ever cruise next April on the Disney Wonder for 5-nights. I have been sooo excited, but my other half is just humoring me and not really feeling it. Your review has done wonders to get him excited too and realize what an awesome experience it will be! We LOVED your CC coverage!!! We are HUGE WDW fans - your comments about being adults only on a Disney cruise were so helpful! I can't wait!!!!!!!!!! ...I'm already trying to figure out how we can do a 7-night Fantasy Eastern too.....

 

Glad to know that I got ur other half excited through my review. I hope you have a blast on your cruise, lets us know how it goes.

 

Thanks for reading.

[gambee]

First wanted to say thanks for such a lovely review, made me remember the good time I had on both the Fantasy and Dream.

 

2 Questions:

 

1. How did they raised and lowered the flag every time? did someone enter you stateroom to take the flag or what?

 

2. Did you mad an on board booking? you should, it get you 10% off and 200$ of OBC and is totally refundable if you change your mind.

 

You would definitely love the Fantasy more, there is a satellite fall adult area on top front of deck 12 with Tons of chair. and the adult area (EUROPA) is much more bright and better organised than the dark catacombs of Dreams.

 

thanks!

 

Dukemstr

 

1. the flag only goes up while the ship is in port. the flag is raised and lowered by wire, no one enters the room.

 

2. I have never done onboard booking, mainly because I am always trying out new cruise lines. But I am sure it might be something that I will have to consider once I become a more seasoned cruiser.

 

I will have to check out the adult area of the fantasy, that was something that I just did not like about the Dream.

[gambee]

Talk about saving the best for last! Those pictures of the boat after dark from your last night were absolutely gorgeous. Stunning.

 

Fantastic review, Gambee. Stumbling upon your reviews of Breakaway and Dream (the two ships I have booked for 2014) has been the highlight of my time on Cruise Critic.

 

Tralfie/Richard

 

Thank you Richard, glad you loved my reviews. Thank you for reading them and posting here.

 

Hi Gambee

 

I logged in to cruisecritic today for the first time in a while thinking surely you'd been on the Breeze by now and I could read your review. I was so surprised to see you went on this ship instead! I'm sorry your plans for the Breeze fell through, and even more sorry to hear about Milo. What a beautiful dog - I am glad his pain is over even though it is still hard for you to go on without him.

 

I really enjoyed this review. I don't have kids, and don't plan to have them, so I had never considered Disney as a viable future cruise option. Now, maybe, I will! Your pictures were all fantastic and your commentary wonderful. I only wish I had noticed from the beginning that I could click through to your website to read the whole thing without the comments from others in the middle! (Now I know for next time!)

 

Thank you for sharing your trip with us!

 

You know life happens, and we have to adjust. Still looking forward to trying out the Breeze in the upcoming future. Thank you very much for the kind words, and just keep your options open for a Disney Cruise. You might enjoy it much more than you think.

 

ONce again thank you for reading and posting.

[Gally Maid 123]

thank you so much.....can't wait for your next cruise....enjoy yours as much as I enjoy my own

[metairiegal]

WOW! Fantastic report and pictures. I love your reviews!

 

I remember how great your Allure review was and it really helped us in planning our cruise on the Allure.

 

(So sorry to hear about your sweet doggie.)

 

P.S. I live in South Florida, too - Boca Raton. And, of course, dh and I are Disney freaks!

Edited September 22, 2013 by metairiegal

[catl331]

Thanks. This review gave us the go ahead to book A 3 DAY. We don't drink much; usually wine and at dinner. So the bars' rating wouldn't affect us. We like to just relax, enjoy scenery, read etc. Good job with the pictures.

[raerom]

Thanks Gambee for another awesome review. Your photos were stunning. Thanks for putting the time into the videos. I would love to do a Disney cruise but it would have to be with my kids. No way could I go without them. Maybe one day we will all go. If only I could will the lottery!:D I think DH and I will be booking the inaugural 5 night Royal Princess, end of October, for DH’s birthday. My first time on a Princess cruise. I am not sure what to expect as I am a loyal RCCLer. I was hoping you would experience it before me so I could get your perspective on this ship. I loved reading your Allure review before we cruised on her. It really helped make our cruise! Looking forward to your next adventure Gambee! Keep posting your reviews! I really, really enjoy them!

[barbeaujo]

I have to take a minute and tell you a real big wow for your review,blog, bref, for everything you did here. I spend the aternnon reading the 28 pages ... never did i got bored !

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. It is really appreciated and from now on, you have a new follower on your blog, i for sure will go read all the other review you did in the past .

Keep it up, cant wait for your next cruise review :-) :D

Josee.

[SweetpeaOne]

Awesome review Gambee. Thank you very much for sharing. Love the pictures. They are so crystal clear. So... when is the next cruise?

[gambee]

Awesome review Gambee. Thank you very much for sharing. Love the pictures. They are so crystal clear. So... when is the next cruise?

 

Not really sure, I might not sail until next year. Thinking maybe the carnival breeze, just not sure of a specific date or itinerary.

[cruiseclues]

gambee, so sorry about Milo...This Photo Review was incredibly Outstanding...the extreme detail was truly wonderful...I liked your website...especially your frank ratings and details.

 

Your other cruise ship review posts are Outstanding, for the remarkably great photos and the extensive detail.

 

What we liked most about Castaway Cay Adult's Only Area was not so much that it was adults only, but that the food was much better on the adults only side...steak, chicken, salmon...right off the grill and onto your plate. We were there for both the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder.

 

We've been on the Carnival Breeze and found all the food consistently good along with the service, though the entertainment was not so great except for the comedians...maybe 4 on a cruise...though the waiting in line for the comedy club for 30 or 45 minutes wasn't good.

 

On your website, you might consider putting identifying text in front of the specific menus, and bar menus, both for your visitors, and Google...since Google still primarily operates on finding text, though they are trying to move to finding websites through photos, which is amazing. :):):):):)

[gambee]

Thank you everyone for you continued support, sorry that Ive been a little MIA, but I started college again and my time is extremely limited.

 

 

As for those of you asking for the future cruises, I not sure yet. I want to do something for spring break but I am not sure if it will be possible. We are also looking at our mom/son cruise this year and it looks like it will be August.

 

 

The possible ships are the Breeze, Oasis eastern, Getaway or maybe even Divina(at the right price).

 

Once again thank you all for your continued support :)

 

 

 

Cruiseclues, thank you so much for your help. I been noticing that some of my traffic comes from your site. Thank you :)