Trying to break the Disney Dream down to a top 10 list was no small feat. A top 100 list probably still couldn't do it justice. There is so much to see and do on the Disney Dream that the whole experience was somewhat overwhelming. It's that good overwhelming that makes you want to come back for more. During my 2-day media preview cruise I tried to experience as much as I could. Here are 10 of my favorite things about the Disney Dream:
1. AquaDuck -The first water coaster at sea did not disappoint! The coaster --because it's way more than a water slide-- spans 765 feet giving you a birds eye view of the decks below. At one point, the ride takes you 12 feet over the side of the ship.
2. Animator's Palette - All of the dining on the Disney Dream was excellent, however, Animator's Palette delivered a one-of-a-kind experience that only Disney could conceive. Characters from Finding Nemo come to life using the same technology as Turtle Talk with Crush at Epcot.
3. Oceaneer Club & Lab - I was totally blown away by the childcare on the Disney Dream. The highlight was the Oceaneer Club and Lab for kids 3-10. Once inside, kids are free to roam from club to club. There are games, activities and crafts that will keep you children entertained for hours.
4. Castaway Cay -Yes, I know Castaway Cay is not on the Disney Dream, but a stop at Disney's Private Island is reason enough to book this Disney Cruise. I love that Castaway Cay was built for families in mind. There are play areas for children of all ages, including the new Pelican Plunge. Child care is also included if you want some time alone time at Serenity Bay- the adult only beach.
5. Pink at The District - There are five unique venues at The District, but my favorite was Pink- the champagne bar. This luxe space was the perfect spot for an after dinner drink with friends.
6. Nemo's Reef - One of my biggest complaints on other cruise ships is the lack of water play for young kids. Every ship usually has a pool and waterslide, but they are often overcrowded. Nemo's Reef is a covered water play area with no standing water. Even my six-year-old had a blast!
7. Wave Phone - I hope the wave phone becomes a standard on every cruise line, because once you cruise with it, you'll never want to be without it. The Wave Phone is a shipboard phone that allows you to make calls on the ship (wave phone to wave phone, or stateroom). This eliminates the need for walkie-talkies and is a great way to keep track of the kids or other members of your party. Genius!
8 .Bathtub - A first for me on a cruise ship was the in-cabin bathtub. If you have never cruised before, a bathtub is a luxury item. On Disney Cruise the bathtub is standard in most cabins.
9. Disney's Believe Stage Show - Entertainment on cruise ships can be iffy...but not on the Disney Dream. New on the Disney Dream is "Disney's Believe"- a full blown musical production featuring your favorite Disney characters. I have to warn you though, bring the tissues!
10. Art Deco Decor -Every little inch of the Disney Dream is stunning. The ship makes you feel as if you're on a luxury ocean liner of years past. Disney did an excellent job of blending elegance within a family-friendly environment.
I was invited, along with my family, on the Disney Dream Christening Cruise. Most expenses were paid. All opinions are my own.
Tammy
Oh those Wave Phones are cool - I hope they put them on the Magic and the Wonder too - what a great way to keep track of 'older' kids 🙂 Our daughter will be 15 when we cruise the Wonder to Alaska next August, and the first time in 'the Stack' (actually not sure what they call it on the other ships, I know that's what it's called on the Magic) - a Wave Phone would be perfect for that!
Don't you love how large the state rooms are compared to other ships? It's great to have the option of a tub, especially for families with little ones.
I ♥ Disney Cruise Lines so much - we look forward to our cruises every year.
Ellie
Sounds like an awesome trip and superb cruise ship. Glad you had fun!
Kasandria
WOW! Sounds like Disney outdid themselves! I soooo want to do a cruise now. Looks like you had an amazing time!
Kas
Stacie Malegni
I am a mom of three young kids who sailed the Disney Dream Feb 10-12. I'm afraid my experience was not a good one. I share it with you because, although the ship was beautiful, passenger service fell so far below the "Disney standard".
The FIRST morning of our cruise, we planned to spend the day on ship at the main pool. I have children, 6, 5, and 3 who wanted to swim, enjoy the Aquaduct and Nemo's Reef. We arrived at 9 a.m. to find that a good portion of the deck (both at the pool and the deck above) were roped off with television cameras, lights, equipment and even a large black tented area for the "talent" (Tom Bergeron) for the filming of America's Funniest Videos. Our biggest complaint is that we were restricted access to the pool area by television crew members telling us that we could not pass through because they were filming. We were told where we could walk, when we could enter the pool, when we could use the Aquaduct, when we could use our cameras to take pictures, which way we needed to go to access the Cabanas dining room, etc...
The experience nearly turned into a tragedy as the safety of my 3 year old son was sacrificed to accommodate the tv filming. My son, not wearing a life vest, escaped my hands and wiggled his way through the barracades to the pool area where they were filming. I was told I could not pass that line. I had to argue with a tv crew member to let me through so that I could chase my son and catch him before he went into the pool with no life vest!
The crew filmed all day long! This inconvenience affected us so much, we had no choice but to leave the pool area and look for inside activities. Unfortunately, this was only one of two days we'd get to use the pool, and the second day was cold and rainy... leaving us with no opportunity to enjoy the pool whatsoever!
I complained immediately to Guest Services on the ship. They apologized for the inconvenience and offered to give me a schedule of where the TV crew was to be on the second day so that I could avoid them. What? The tv crew comes first and the guest experience comes second?
The next day we went to breakfast at the Royal Palace. Or at least we tried. Here we were met by the television crew, cameras, lights and baracades set up in the main atrium. We were told we could not enter the Royal Palace because they were filming. We had to choose another place to get our breakfast on the cruise. Once again, we could not have the freedom to go where we wanted to go, do what we wanted to do, or eat where we wanted to eat.
We continued to run into the television crew all over the ship. On the 5th deck at the Oceaneer's Lab, on the 11th Deck at the Adult swim area, back at the Atrium later on... it seemed as if every experience we had on the cruise ship had us accomodating the television crew.
To substantiate my point, I have put pictures that I took on the second day of the cruise and posted them to the website associated with this post. (I only wish I had pictures from the 1st day at the pool.
I asked DCL for a refund of this vacation that turned out to be nothing but a big disappointment for us. We paid for a VACATION. We paid for GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE. We paid to use the ship AMMENITIES. We were prohibited from any of this because DCL chose to make it an experience for a television crew and not my family.
Their response? "We regret the disappointment your family experienced," and then they sent me a $100 ship board credit for my next cruise. My next cruise? Yeah right. Their response to my complaint made this entire experience even worse.