PhillyTravelBug

That's great to hear. How was PEI and the sailing overall. I'm from Philly and have been to New England plenty of times. It is my favorite area in the US and have thought about this itinerary.

Gorgeous scenery / coastline. 

Envious! Those photos and sunsets are heaven. Enjoy the cruise! I feel it’s the best way to experience Hawaii, I am just hearing mixed reviews in the pride of America. Have a wonderful time!

Following along. This is on my list of destinations too. Enjoy the beauty!!!!

That’s great to hear! Glad you had overall good first impressions. I’m loyal to NCL and have my first celebrity cruise next head on the Ascent.

would you sail NCL again?

22 hours ago, gometros said:

 

Those of us few Disney fans on CC are glad you're here and thanks for the travel reports.

 

On a side note, I had booked concierge GTY for next month's WBTA. I had expected to get one of the 4A rooms that they were converting to 3A and was confirmed yesterday with our room number. SO excited. Perfect location midship.

Thank you and enjoy your sailing! 😀

Would be interested in booking her, but not that interested in the Caribbean.

I am hoping they start to use this class of ships more in the warmer climates and the away plus class in the colder, more northern climates.

On 9/15/2024 at 2:52 PM, cruiseracer said:

 

Nope. I tried to watch and couldn't get past the beginning. The drama is over the top from the beginning. Too much to be thankful for on the Epic.    

same here! They fell into the clickbait trap to gain more views and followers and the dramatics are unwatchable. 

I like for our Celebrity cruise for next year, we had the option of a set dining time or anytime dining.  They may be a good alternative for me in the future along with NCL.  I am starting to feel really guilty now with all of this cheating as of lately.

1 hour ago, ConnieTact said:

Beautiful sunset in Southampton! It’s great when the staff are excited to go home- they work long and hard so it’s fun to see them setting off on their breaks!

I hope you both have a good journey home and that you enjoy Carnival when you try it out - I look forward to your reading report next year! 😀

Thank you! Mediterranean cruise on the celebrity ascent next June! Too long to wait.

Back at Southampton and I see my good friend, NCL prima! My friends are on this after they saw our trip from last year. Disney was good, but not quite good enough to want to do another week long trip. I would be open to a long weekend from Florida if I had to. 
not sure why reviews say Disney food is exceptional, it is right on par with NCL.  Service and entertainment was outstanding throughout; this is something NCL has been willingly sacrificing. Overall ship, I will take NCL. A good and relaxing time though cheating on my go to cruise line.

And bam! It’s the last BB hour onboard and there are 4 cruise ships in port (princess, p&o, Disney, and NCL prima). It’s been a very relaxing trip and quite enjoyable time with my mom.

As the Dream goes into dry dock, we were speaking to a lot of the staff that are going home for 5 weeks. They are excited.

I wish the Disney forum was a bit more active, but thanks for tagging along. 😉

4 hours ago, ConnieTact said:

I’m enjoying your live report. I always wondered what Disney cruising was like. I agree, the Prima cabins are amazing and hard to beat. However, the food looks amazing on Disney! Great you can enjoy quality time with your mum. I love the photos of you together.

thank you very much. It’s been enjoyable. My work days are usually 11-12 hours and we don’t have much time together. 
I would say Disney and NCL food are right on par with each other. Disney beats NCL for entertainment and NCL beats Disney for cabins.  Glad I did this, but will gravitate towards NCL. My partner and I are trying Cekebrity Ascent next year, but have four cruise next certificates with NCL.

Duh! Oops. I knew it was garden. Thanks 😜

Palo may have been better than Remy. Difficult to decide but service and dinner were top notch tonight!

Plymouth, England

Lovely day on our excursion to see the Jurassic coast. I wish we had a little bit longer to explore the stops along the way. The weather is perfect. My mom and I rode the aqua duck when we got back. Wow! That water was cold! But we did it and glad we did.

Time to get ready for our dinner at Palo tonight.

Pirate night was a lot of fun! It was the first night we got to see a pretty sunset, while the show was going on! We had dinner at the Enchanted Forest. It was fine. I think the main dining rooms seem to be consistently mediocre. I get it, there’s a lot of people to feed at once, in a timely fashion with two seatings. To perfect this, it just seems the quality suffers because of it.

Complawyer- this sailing ports in England, Scotland, and Ireland. Caribbean is too hot any time of the year.

What a spectacular excursion! Ireland has been my favorite so far!

We go

Respectfully disagree. This was a cruise my mother picked to celebrate her 60th, but if I want a Disney experience, I will go to one of the parks and plan a land vacation for the same price. The Dream is not quite as immersive as I was expecting, except for the Beaty and the beast show last night. That was the only time I felt that Disney magic.  I usually plan out my specialty restaurant meals on NCL and have no issue doing that. The other nights, I’m open to their main dining rooms, the local, or indulge(best dining experience when on the ships that have it).

I usually just wait until Black Friday / cyber Monday. Even those aren’t spectacular. They should be offering triple cruise next deposits relatively soon. It’s been a while.

Cobh, Cork Ireland
 

Finally, a gorgeous morning!! Sun is shining and feels warm. My mother has a Disney excursion exploring some town I had no interest in. I am heading o. A Disney excursion to the Blarney Castle. This was a must for me. Can’t wait. The town of Cobh is cute.

5 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Amen.  I'm easily irritated by people, especially the ones who talk too much (usually about themselves).  The odds of having at least one of those at a table of 8 - 10 people is just too great a risk.

 

I was just guessing.  How many people do have to sit together on those archaic cruises with assigned dinner seating?

I believe I requested my mom and I sit alone if possible when filling out the forum. We are at a table for 6 with another couple that speaks very little English. It’s been awkward conversation filled with non verbal communication. Smiles, hello, and goodbye.

8 hours ago, complawyer said:

and aren't cruises with disney, considerably more expensive, with less choices for itineraries?

 

remember, if it ain't broke "dont fix it"

 

after 14 years and 30 cruises on ncl, im happy as a clam or a pig in whatever makes a pig being happy in, and after checking the fares, ports of call and most other amenities, i am more than happy to stay with NCL, and as yet have found no real incentive to cruise with any other line

yes. We are trying Celebrity next year and this Disney cruise is just a little more expensive than that one.

Despite all the complaining we all do with NCL, I’m on my first Disney cruise, and I do miss NCL overall. It’s my first cruise in ten years that hasn’t been with them and I’m learning there are pluses and minuses compared to the two.

Disney does have the upper hand with their production shows. We just saw their beauty and the beast musical and it beat out any of the Broadway shows NCL used to have. Even their Golden Mickeys was up there with the NCL shows.

Their housekeeping staff is top notch as well. I didn’t realize how much I do miss the turn down service. Our housekeeper also made sure I had enough blankets, asked how my mom was doing since she didn’t see her that day, and if there is anything else we needed. 
 

A major bit I love about NCL is their anytime dining. God I miss it this week. We have set dinner times, a buffet that is closed for dinner, and only two specialty restaurants. NCL has me spoiled. I don’t want to eat in a dining room every night for table service. Some nights i just want to be casual.  They also had a formal night. It seemed very dated, but the people enjoyed it. 
 

The NCL cabins are overall more functional and enjoyable. 
 

if anyone wants to read my live blog, here’s the link:

Disney Live blog British Isles

We have a few more days left of our sailing.