Live (depends on internet!) Disney Dream Transatlantic, May 7-20, 2023. Miami to Barcelona! 🛳️

[Cruise Kay]

The Golden Mickeys was a terrific show. Just so magical. So much talent on that stage! Wow. Because I went to medical during my dining time I was able to go straight to early seating for the golden Mickeys, and I liked it so much I went back for the second show later on.

 

there's a ventriloquist on board and he did a late night show just for adults. I didn't make it to that, I was in bed by then. Tomorrow is another full day. Since I missed my dining I ate at Flo's poolside grill, I got a impossible burger fresh made to order. Some nice hot crispy fries. Very tasty.

[Cruise Kay]

Breakfast menu from Royal Palace tomorrow 

[Cruise Kay]

Some night shots

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Regarding service in the MDRs, don't just quit going. Talk to your head server and/or the dining room manager (you can do this during the opposite seating if you don't want to do it while you're there) about it and tell them what you've said - that you have not been able to get a second glass of water or any condiments for your food. They'll take care of it - possibly there is a demanding table in your section (I've had that before - but we didn't realize until the last night when our server was out on medical since he had been holding that table in check) that the head server could assist with. They want to be able to help make things right - and they can't if they aren't told what is going on.

[MMMCruiser]

Following along.  Love your posts so far.  I'm booked on the Dream next month.  Last trip was on the Magic, so I'm a bit worried about the size of the crowds on the Dream.  Any thoughts on that one?  Also, do they normally make the Impossible burgers to order, or is that something you requested?  (So glad to see that they have those on board!!!)

[Cruise Kay]

8 hours ago, MMMCruiser said:

Following along.  Love your posts so far.  I'm booked on the Dream next month.  Last trip was on the Magic, so I'm a bit worried about the size of the crowds on the Dream.  Any thoughts on that one?  Also, do they normally make the Impossible burgers to order, or is that something you requested?  (So glad to see that they have those on board!!!)

I haven't ordered an impossible burger in one of the dining rooms yet, but as far as flows poolside grill, you request an impossible burger and they make it fresh for you so you wait about 10 minutes. But it was really good. And I believe they have vegan mayonnaise available on request.

[Cruise Kay]

Today is day four. It's a little bit of a gray day. Yesterday was gray and windy so the outside was not quite as crowded as usual. A lot of people inside. Yesterday cruise fatigue seem to hit everybody, and maybe the time change so far. I saw an awful lot of tired kids having meltdowns, shrieking, I saw siblings really sick of each other kicking and pushing. I think it's normal for a cruise of this length to start out really gung ho and then have a couple of tired days before you get into a good rhythm and relax. There are so many really small children on the cruise and I'm sure they're exhausted with the big change their routine.

 

yesterday I tried breakfast in the main dining room at the royal palace. It was very good and service was terrific. They sat me at a table by a window with the lady from Colorado who was very nice. She told me that she was on her balcony the night before and saw a humpback whale. The whale jumped out of the water three times and was visible for quite a while. I wish I had seen it!
 

I spent some time on deck four in the loungers after breakfast and the word about the whale had got out. A lot of people were at the railing looking around and commenting they hoped they would see a whale today.

 

Our crochet group from our Facebook cruise group got together yesterday afternoon and that was fun. In the afternoon I went back to the hair salon for a wash, style, blow dry. That was really nice.
 

I wasn't hungry for dinner but I really like my tablemates so I went. We had a really nice time. Right after dinner was a big event in the atrium called the shining shimmering celebration at sea. The whole ship gathered in the atrium and along the railings of the overlook. All of the main Disney characters came out dressed in special outfits, light blue tuxedos and gowns with white trim. There was goofy, Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy. Our violinist played live music while the characters went out into the audience and mingled and danced and lead a conga line. In theory it should've been great fun and it was… But it was just so mobbed. Forget photos or getting near the characters. Especially if you are a person using a wheelchair, scooter, or walker. There were a lot of really aggressive children attacking the characters--grabbing their hands and yanking, pushing them, falling into them, and parents just standing by letting them.
 

One little girl went up on stage with the violinist and careened around in out of control spins for a long time--nearly falling off the stage, nearly crashing into the piano, so forth and so on, and the parents just stood there smiling. The violinist had to move her stand and move her floor pedal and keep playing at the same time and she was clearly stressed with a frozen smile, and the minute she was done she asked the child to leave the stage. 

Don't get me wrong, I love kids, I have five of them and two grandchildren. I'm on a Disney cruise because I enjoy being around families. I love seeing kids having the time of their lives and interacting with the characters and all of those things. But yesterday there just seem to be a lot of parents, possibly exhausted, who were just letting their kids do whatever they wanted. After the celebration dance I went to the magic show and after 30 minutes I had to leave. I could not hear one single word the magician was saying because of all the families around me with exhausted screaming toddlers begging to leave (and parents unwilling to leave), families chattering with each other, kids crying, all those typical 830 at night exhaustion kind of behaviors. I sympathize but at the same time it was frustrating because this is a really good magician and he's only performing twice on this whole cruise and I just couldn't hear his act. 
 

not a big deal, and something to just expect on a big crowded ship like this, especially a Disney ship, I'm just sharing what it was like. I was not upset or anything, just a little frustrated. The magician was on America's got talent and came in second and he was so funny and interesting based on the first five minutes that I did get to hear, and from what I could see on stage. 

By the time I left the show, it was after nine, and at 10:15 we were having a special fireworks at sea celebration. I'm sure you know that Disney has pirate night during the cruise with fireworks at sea then, but this was a special continuation of the whole 25 year shimmering celebration at sea theme for the evening. I was exhausted by then and debated staying up for the fireworks but I just couldn't do it. I was in bed by 10 and the fireworks and dance show were scheduled for 1015. 
 

I was still awake and scrolling Facebook about 30 minutes later and my Facebook group started posting how disappointed they were with the fireworks. They said there was barely any fireworks and the show just seem to end halfway through itself. A lot of people got into the comments and explained that they heard the cast members telling everyone that the show did actually get cut short, it wasn't anybody's imagination. The reason it got cut short is because somebody's child ran under a rope and up a flight of stairs into the restricted area where it was not safe and firework embers were scattering. The response of the crew was to immediately just end the show. Which of course, was the right thing to do. 
 

Our sea days have been packed with plenty of crafts and special kid activities in their kids clubs, and different family events throughout the day.

 

We had two days of just gorgeous weather and now we're in day two of some gray and windy weather, which is completely to be expected on a transAtlantic. It is driving more people inside though so the activities are getting more love than the outdoor pools right now. Still tons of people outside though and the poolside grill and pizza place stay busy all day.

 

Some sample shots from the menu for main dining room lunch today. Of course lunch options include room service, cabanas buffet, and the poolside food, which is burgers and sandwiches, fruit and salads, and pizza.
 

 

Edited May 11, 2023 by Cruise Kay

[Cruise Kay]

Lunch menu shots and a few screenshots of daily activities for today

[Cruise Kay]

A few photos from yesterday

[Cruise Kay]

9 hours ago, MMMCruiser said:

Following along.  Love your posts so far.  I'm booked on the Dream next month.  Last trip was on the Magic, so I'm a bit worried about the size of the crowds on the Dream.  Any thoughts on that one? 

My last transatlantic was on the magic and it was just so wonderful. It was a super light crowd and of course the magic is a smaller ship so it was just the perfect size. This is definitely (as you know), a much bigger ship and a much larger crowd. I think if you just prepare yourself mentally it will be fine. I failed to do my research ahead of time---I just assumed the transatlantic would be a light crowd since most people don't do these kinds of sailings, especially families. But we are at 2700 passengers. 
 

Obviously, with a crowd this size and so many sea days, you can expect the hot tubs and pools to be very full. And they are--all day long. But other than that, there are plenty of spaces on board to spread out and relax. If you don't care about being in a chair right next to the pool, there are so many wonderfully inviting spaces to go lie in the sun or read a book or look out at the ocean. So in that sense, crowding has not been a problem. You may have to wait in line a few minutes at the poolside food options, but not forever. Cabanas is busy and bustling but you can usually find a nice table within a few minutes. People eat all day long and spread out their eating times to where if you're doing the buffet or poolside food, it's not going to be an issue to fight a crowd.

 

The shops have a few people in them at all times, but other than opening night when the special merchandise went on sale, it's not a mob scene.

 

If you want an appointment at the spa or hair salon you need to go fairly early in the week and schedule your chosen day as with a crowd this size, they do tend to get full as the cruise goes on. 

 

The big song and dance shows are spread out to accommodate rotational dining so there's a full house for each show but still you could walk in late and find somewhere in the way back to sit. Special shows such as the magician last night was a one time show for everybody on the ship after both dinner rotations. It was quite full and I don't think you could've walked in late and found seating for a family of four or more.

 

If you rely on an elevator to get around you need to be prepared to possibly wait each time you need one, and I can only imagine how bad the elevator situation is going to be on disembarkation day, but other than that, it's not usually a mob.

 

On sea days, especially if the weather is not terrific, all of the really nice indoor lounge areas tend to get snatched up, (such as those great couches and chairs by the windows next to Vista café on deck four ,) but like I said, even if the prime spots are taken you can still find somewhere really nice if you just look around. There are so many places to sit around the ship inside and outside. 

 

Edited May 11, 2023 by Cruise Kay

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

I'm glad you're having a good time overall!! Hoping the weather remains better for y'all than it's been for the ships crossing the past couple of weeks - a lot of them got tossed and turned!

 

I'm sorry things are being disrupted by parents refusing to parent. That is one of my biggest pet peeves - not just on DCL but anywhere. But if you're on DCL with its awesome kids clubs, if you want a break from being a parent, take your kid to the club so you can have a break. (I teach special ed, so I get the needing a break thing. But you've got to make sure the kids are taken care of before you take the break!)

[Cruise Kay]

Agree, the kids clubs are amazing. I'm not traveling with kids this time obviously, but I used to bring mine on the ship and it's really a wonderful place for families.

 

I just saw Ariel take a stroll on deck four around the top of the atrium waving at people down below. A flock of very small children came out of nowhere and gathered around her. She squatted down to their level and talked to them a really long time. They were enthralled. One little boy had a shield and she was talking to him about it and getting him excited about the power the shield had and what a superhero he was. 
 

there's a staff member who makes coffee here at vista café and in my opinion he's been rude the only two times I've interacted with him, but I just saw him come over to a little boy who is hanging out with his family and give him a special treat and squat down at his level and whisper to him with a big smile on his face and it made the boy smile as well. That was really sweet.

 

last night during the magician show an older couple and their teenage grandson decided to get up and leave. The grandfather was using a cane but still could barely walk and navigating the stairs was extremely difficult. He was struggling in his little wife wasn't capable of catching him if he fell backwards. A staff member monitoring the door saw all of this and rushed down the stairs and took the man's arm very gently and respectfully and helped him up the stairs. 

 

In general the Disney staff has been trained on how to interact with kids and they are phenomenal. There are many people here of all ages with special needs and the staff knows how to treat everybody with completely devoted attention and enthusiasm and kindness.

Edited May 11, 2023 by Cruise Kay

[Hoo27]

Thanks for letting us sail along with you!

[MMMCruiser]

I have to admit that the thought of so many kids out of control makes me concerned.  It just wasn't an issue on our last sailing - maybe because it was pre-Covid, or maybe because it was a more international crowd on board, or maybe because the Magic wasn't full.  It's helpful to read this because I can lower my expectations.  We aren't sailing with kids, and really care mostly about the ports at this time, so if I need to skip out on a show (or all the shows) I can deal with that.  We never used the elevators on the Magic (I try to leave them for those who really need them, having taken a disabled parent on a DCL cruise and knowing just how difficult it is to get an elevator), but the Dream is so much larger so I can see using one if we need to go up 10 flights.

 

Thanks for taking us all along on your journey.  I hope the kids settle down and you have great weather and calm seas for the crossing.

[G2G]

Oh dear, I’m now dreading my first DCl experience. Your descriptions of parents lack of control over their children shocks me. I was undecided about this whole experience but thought my grandson would love it, now, not so much. 
Unfortunately too late now we sail in 2 weeks? I have a low tolerance to parental indiscretions regarding kids behaviour. Maybe it will be a one & dine for me.  I will reserve my judgment till post cruise 🤔

[Cruise Kay]

Let me just assure you both that I have sailed Disney many times and I have never seen a day like yesterday. Out of control children has never been an issue on a Disney Cruise for me before, or really any cruise line at all. I mean you see the occasional meltdown and stuff but you just expect that. Yesterday was a weird day ----there was something in the air. It seemed like all the kids were exhausted and being wild and parents weren't doing much about it. But that is not the norm. And certainly the kids clubs are well supervised and well organized. 

Regarding last nights fireworks, I found out that it was teenagers who ran under the security rope and up the stairs and presented a danger to their own safety, so that's why the show was shut down.

 

Today was better. Even though it was a rainy day and we were all inside all day long, everybody seem to have gotten themselves back together. People were entertaining themselves, doing all the various activities, hanging out in lounges, everybody was getting along just fine today and it was humming along quietly like any other cruise day that you would expect. The costume characters not only made their scheduled appearances but several unplanned stroll through the ship where they would stop and talk to people in the halls and pose for photos.

 

 The main event for tonight was showing guardians of the galaxy three in the movie theater. They've already shown it several times but I think this was the first time it was showing prime time.

 

We had heavy rain all day today. There was a stargazing event scheduled for tonight but of course that's canceled. Everyone was inside all day and although the ship felt busy, it still didn't feel jampacked. I could still find plenty of nice places to sit and I went to trivia early and got a good seat and all that good stuff. I think even on a crowded ship, if you just plan ahead a little bit and get to events a little early, and just keep your eyes open and look around for alternative seating, you'll be fine. 

 

Disney trivia was fun… It was all about Disney songs. There were several of us with perfect scores and the tiebreaker question was how many crewmembers are on board. The correct answer was 1400 something… I guessed 920. So I lost.

 

tonight's dinner had a frozen theme. The waiters were wearing outfits inspired by the movie and the menu had a Scandinavian hint to it. Lots of fun. In Animators Palette tonight they showcased a lot of development art and storyboard art on the screens around the restaurant and I loved that.

 

I made it to the gym this afternoon. It's a surprisingly small gym and it was brisk, (given that it's a rain day), but there were still machines to grab and tread mills to be had.

 

The Disney characters appeared in the lobby today wearing new costumes, all international.

 

at one point today we rolled into a fog bank and the captain blew the horn. The ship rocked some this evening but nothing terrible. At some point this afternoon the captain said we were right in the middle of our Atlantic path for the Crossing. Internet went in and out today and is extremely weak. That's to be expected at this point. 

Here's a picture of the map on our TV, and characters in costume.

[carohs]

1 hour ago, G2G said:

Oh dear, I’m now dreading my first DCl experience. Your descriptions of parents lack of control over their children shocks me. I was undecided about this whole experience but thought my grandson would love it, now, not so much. 
Unfortunately too late now we sail in 2 weeks? I have a low tolerance to parental indiscretions regarding kids behaviour. Maybe it will be a one & dine for me.  I will reserve my judgment till post cruise 🤔

With that many families on board you will have to increase your tolerance level. Have you been to the parks lately? It's really no better or worse than there I would say. There will be lots of well behaved kids and lots of not so well behaved kids. Try to be empathetic. They're either excited or tired or hungry or had too much ice cream, but they're all on vacation too. It's hard learning to manage emotions and behaviors in any kind of new situation, especially for children, and cruising isn't something most kids do on a regular basis. Same for the parents! But if you go in with an open mind you will have a great time! Your grandson certainly will.

[carohs]

oooh, oooh, oooh! International costumes. Love it!!!

[Cruise Kay]

I really do think a Disney cruise is such a special experience for children and grandchildren. I would not hesitate to take your grandson on a Disney cruise. I bet you guys will have an amazing time. Nobody does it like Disney. I mean yeah all cruise lines have something wonderful to offer, but there's just something about a Disney Cruise. They put a little extra effort and magic into all of their entertainment, their staff, ships are beautiful, there's just a certain standard there that's really wonderful. Shows are so wonderful and the costume characters are just terrific with kids
 

I think part of the out of control kids yesterday was the fact that all 2700 of us were crammed into the atrium at the same time, it was the end of the day, it was just a wrong time of day. And it's not like all the kids were out of control, it was just some of them and of course those were the ones ruining it for everybody else. For the most part I see adorable families on Disney ships, including this one. I see families in matching shirts having the time of their lives, having lots of fun together, all of those things. There's so much to offer for kids on the ship, there's no reason for anyone to ever be bored. and the average parent understands when to take their child out of line for a photo with Mickey Mouse and put them to bed instead, or take them somewhere else they're more interested in. The kids have been thrilled with the swimming pools of course, and there's a splash area for little kids that's been very popular. And the food! So much of it and it's been great.
 

One thing I always enjoy on a Disney cruise is the unlimited Disney movies in the room. I've been watching them every night!

 

tomorrow is day six already. How did that happen? This week has flown by.

 

Edited May 12, 2023 by Cruise Kay

[MMMCruiser]

3 hours ago, G2G said:

Oh dear, I’m now dreading my first DCl experience. Your descriptions of parents lack of control over their children shocks me. I was undecided about this whole experience but thought my grandson would love it, now, not so much. 
Unfortunately too late now we sail in 2 weeks? I have a low tolerance to parental indiscretions regarding kids behaviour. Maybe it will be a one & dine for me.  I will reserve my judgment till post cruise 🤔

I will add that my family has sailed with DCL a number of times and we have never had issues with the kids (and we sail as all adults now).  I hope unruly kids won't be an issue on our cruise in a few weeks. 

[Cruise Kay]

it's Friday, day six. We are three hours ahead of home and will set our clocks forward one more hour tonight. We arrive in Portugal on Sunday.
 

I woke up early and checked the Bridgeview in my magic portal. It looked like we were going to have a nice sunrise so I went up on deck and got photos. Looks like we might have a day without rain! If so, I will spend the day by the pool. I tried to get laundry going up until 10 o'clock last night but the machines were full. I'll check for different decks and they were full as well. Got a load started this morning. Some photos from this morning and from cabanas. Internet is back to normal!

[Cruise Kay]

PS, tonight is pirate night! So you'll see some pirate themed movies and activities woven into the days schedule today. Fireworks on deck this evening!

[Cruise Kay]

Today was incredible. We had sun again and a brisk breeze that kept everything comfortable. I did laundry this morning and then spent most of the day outside. Even though lots of us were back outside on the pool deck, it never felt jammed. The pools had plenty of space in them and there were tons of chairs to be had.

 

There were all the usual daily activities… Movies on the outdoor screen, trivia, lots of photo opportunities with the characters, the shops are open, all that good stuff.

 

Dinner tonight in the enchanted garden, which is a really beautiful dining room. We have the best table right next to a window. While we were eating somebody posted on Facebook in our group that they saw whales, and somebody else saw dolphins jumping along side the ship.

 

it was pirate day and pirate night and it was so cute to see how much enthusiasm everyone brought to this occasion. Entire families were wearing elaborate costumes, they were plenty of adults and kids of all ages wearing different amounts of pirate gear from simple to elaborate. Some people even put on special make up or fake beards or fake scars. It was so fun. So much enthusiasm! Mickey and friends wore pirate costumes today and put on a song and dance show in the evening, and then at 10 o'clock Captain Jack sparrow put on another song and dance show with his pirate crew, and that culminated in fireworks, which were spectacular. 
 

we also had a comedian tonight who is also a contortionist. He was very funny.
 

Tomorrow is the final day at sea for our first big week of traveling, then we start hitting ports with one or two sea days mixed in. We are now four hours ahead of time back home.

[Cruise Kay]

Tonight's menu was pirate-themed

 

 

 

[Cruise Kay]

Perfect day. Absolutely breathtaking weather and scenery… The ocean was so smooth and the sky so blue all day long today...we had a spectacular sunset as well. I spotted a whale today while I was out walking deck four. That was pretty exciting. During dinner, we had a sighting of a pod of dolphins jumping alongside the ship. After dinner I went outside and dolphin watched for about an hour along with several other people and we saw pods of dolphins jumping many many times.

 

There was a fun boat building competition today--teams consisted of families, tweens and teens from the kids clubs. They were given basic materials like cardboard and Styrofoam cups to work with, and everybody built some form of a ship. Staff member got in the pool and floated each ship and put cans of soda on top to see if they were seaworthy. They made a lot of fun and the kids were just thrilled and there was a lot of cheering involved.

 

We had a ventriloquist for our big show this evening and he was hilarious. He got some kids up on stage to help and they had a blast.
 

Tomorrow's dinner has an international theme. Here are a few menu shots.
 

Tomorrow is the Azores!

 

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by Cruise Kay