cruisefamilyforever

Cruisefamilyforever, I owe you an apology. Thank you for your information! Someone else had given me wrong information about the triangles.

 

I believe I have the cabin situation worked out.....finally!

 

Thank you!

Not a problem. I have sailed the Dream and I'm on the Fantasy next month. What cabins are you currently booked?

Also, moki'smommy, Shmoo here and Ex techie are the A Team when it comes to Disney Cruises. They all have a wealth of Disney experience and are the go to people I count on when I'm looking for info. It's amazing how much knowledge and insight they can provide.

Additionally, if you haven't been on the Disneycruiselineblog please have a look. There is a lot of real time info there and you can look at the latest Personal Navigators for your cruise to help you plan.

I hope you have a wonderful trip. We loved our cruise on the Dream.

Is there a deck plan anywhere that will tell you how many people a specific cabin will sleep on the Disney Dream? The category I have booked says that the cabins sleep 3 or 4. I need one of the cabins to sleep 4, and have just found out through my TA that both connecting cabins I currently have booked only sleep 3.

 

I want to look for cabins, but can't find this information on the deck plans anywhere. If anyone can help, I would be most appreciative!

If you are looking at an actual Disney deck plan when you see a small dark triangle the room will sleep a minimum of 4 and possible 5 people. Now the configuration of the sleeping setup is a different story. You will need to call a Disney rep to verify the exact configuration. Believe it or not I had to talk to three different reps before I could confirm my cabin had a murphy bed and no drop down bed. The triangle means the room will have a queen bed, a sofa sleeper and a drop down from the ceiling or a murphy bed or both. All of the other comments so far are right on the money.

My son has autism and we have cruised with Carnival, RCI and Disney. He is extremely picky about the food he will eat and his biggest issue is with chicken tenders. The chicken on the Disney ship is exactly what is served in the parks according to my son anyway and my son loves it. Of course your son may have a different reaction.

My son has french fries, chicken tenders and white rice for all meals in the dining rooms. They will bring your son pretty much whatever is available on the ship to try to accommodate him. In my opinion they do the best job at trying to meet your needs of the cruise lines we have sailed.

Also, the terminal experience is far more superior. We never felt crowed and there was plenty of room to move around. I think your son with be fine. If he has a meltdown do what you always do and you will all get through it. The characters will try to help you and the staff is wonderful.

The only place on the ship that was noisy to us were the dining rooms. That's just because of the concentration of kids. You can bring stuff to entertain your child while dining or you may want to get him some ear plugs if you think he will use them. You can always skip the dining room and have table service at Cabanas except for the first and last nights. It is quieter to eat there and less crowded. The one dining room I would not miss is Animator's Palate. I think he will really enjoy the shows there.

I hope you all have a wonderful cruise!

Magic, 7 night Eastern Carib, Both Royal Suites!

 

ex techie

You made me smile! I think when he found out that the cost would be around $40,000 or so, that money doesn't matter statement would go right out the door!:eek:

I appreciate your comments although I don't recall saying anything that would have led you to believe that I don't enjoy Disney parks or suggesting that it wouldn't be my "cup of tea". I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't considering it.

Your statement makes it sound like you really need a casino and that running into characters would not be the experience you were looking for. Hence, my comments. I simply meant both of your concerns were confirmed so that would mean it's not the experience you are looking for. I should have said may not instead.

I would have said the same thing if you were a smoker asking about places you can smoke on the ship. Disney has one of the most restrictive smoking policies out there which is another reason I like them.

I cruise with my kids who are both in there 20s now and we all enjoy Disney, but it is a treat because it cost a lot more than Carnival and RC which we have also sailed on. In my experience the service and attention to detail can't be beat on Disney but the mouse will take a very big bite out of your wallet.

If you enjoy the parks you will enjoy a Disney cruise. The main difference is the ship is so much more relaxing. If you decide to sail on Disney I think you will have a wonderful time, but only you can decide if the extra money justified the experience.

There are no casinos on any Disney ship and there are no plans to change that in the future. Yes you will see Disney characters and lots of kids throughout the cruise. Clearly Disney is not your cup of tea from your comments. If you don't enjoy going to Disney parks and all things Disney than this is not the line for you. Additionally, Disney is more expensive than a similar cruise on most other lines.

However many of us that have sailed Disney think it is worth every penny of the additional cost.

The cabin itself will be fine, however there are two possible concerns to be aware of. You are directly above the main theater, so when shows are going on, occasionally you will hear them. Also, a forward cabin is more prone to motion than a mid ship or aft cabin. You are on a lower deck so that does lessen the movement a little if you encounter rough sea.

By the way this is not just my opinion, it's a fact on any ship, just Google it. If you are affected by motion sickness you want to be on the lowest deck mid ship, followed by aft and the least favorable is forward on an upper deck. Most people are fine anywhere, but if the seas are rough even cruising on the latest mega ship it does make a difference if motion sickness comes into play with anyone in your party.

Also, are taxi's available easily? We are heading to the Blue Lagoon and need to know approx how long this would take. Thanks for any tips.

You are very confused about Blue Lagoon. My whole family did the Dolphin encounter there. You can't get there by cab, it is a private island that is about a 30 minute boat ride from the dock. Disney does have many tour options there. Play at their ocean floating water park area, dolphin encounter and swim and seal lion encounter.

This place is gorgeous and well worth the trip. The dolphin swim and push by two dolphins across the lagoon is incredible. The CD with pictures and video is well worth the money.

Military discounts are being offered right now on certain ships and dates between now and May 2, 2015. Just go to the Disney line cruise site and look under specials. You will save a significant amount of money but choices are very limited. If you are trying to get a Military discount when school is out, spring break or on any holidays you won't find one.

Disney only offers military discounts during the lower demand periods. Good luck with your search. I'm retired military and I don't mind paying extra for Disney; it's worth it.

If you can't find a discount that works for you, your best option is to book 16 months in advance or as soon as the date you are looking for is released. This will be the best rate, if no military rate will work for your schedule.

I knew I could count on both of you to chime in and as always your advice and expertise is greatly appreciated:)!

I have asked this question in the past and I was leaning toward watching the fireworks from the port side of deck 13 near Currents on the Fantasy. However, I just realized this is a smoking area and that just won't work for my family.

When we were on the Dream we watched the fireworks on the starboard side of deck 12 above the pool against the outer ship railing. We were packed like sardines and we realized the view would have been better on the port side.

This time we want to make sure we can see the fireworks without straining and we want to be able to see the jumbo screen and of course Capt. Jack make his zip line entrance.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Just 73 days until cruise and counting.

Just put "The Disney Cruise Line Blog" in your search engine and this site will have everything you need.

Welcome aboard Fidgell. You picked a great cabin and location on the ship. You will be amazed how much room you will have.

Also, another source for you to get details and help to plan your cruise is the Disney Cruise line Blog. Just put that in your search engine and it will take you right to it. You can see the latest Personal Navigators for your cruise and look at all of the dining menus too.

Your family will have a wonderful time on the cruise, but since you are starting your cruising with Disney, it will be hard to transition to other lines. Disney really does have a magical touch that I haven't found on Carnival or Royal Caribbean. Of course I still cruise other lines because they are so much cheaper, but we will always treat ourselves with a Disney Cruise every few years. That's what my family tells me anyway:).

I might be able to work in a 3-4 day cruise at like $1-$1.5k and a day at the parks...that would be a nice compromise...

Wow, that budget will never get you on any cruise ship except maybe a very old Carnival ship. You have to take into account the cruise cost, port fees and taxes and add tips which are usually are around $12 per day per person.

I don't think you will be able to any find any ship even for a 3 day cruise regardless of the time of year that will fit a $1500 budget for 5 people.

Maybe you will get lucky and prove me wrong, cruising is fun so good luck with you search!

This is the best overall cruise report I've seen to date. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Your pictures are phenomenal and they tell a complete story. You have a lovely family and thank you very much for sharing your vacation with us.

The down side is I'm pretty sure you are going to have to come up with a big chunk of money to go on a longer Disney cruise in the near future. The good news it's more fun with Disney!

Hopefully, I can give you some insight when I'll post my trip report in June when I come back from the Fantasy. However, it will not have pictures, but I will try to paint a good picture of the experience.

You just never know what can happen, so that is what I was hoping to hear. Thanks everyone for your input :)!

What happens if you arrive 30 or 45 minutes past your PAT?

I've read many of the posts about PATs, but I could find this issue addressed. I booked a 1030-1045 PAT for the Fantasy last night when my 90 day window (Castaway Club Silver) opened.

We are staying at the Country Inn near the port and expect to arrive during our PAT. However, what if something unexpected happens and we miss the window. Will we still be able to press on with check in as soon as we get there and will our boarding number take a priority based on the earlier PAT we were assigned?

No there isn't a link to look at current daily Personal Navigators, however you can go to disneycruiselineblog.com and look at the most recent ones availble. Look under the Cruise Planning tab and select Personal Navigators. Then select the Magic and look at the latest navigators which I believe are Nov 2014. They will be almost exactly like the ones you will be getting on your cruise each day. The times will be mostly the same, but some of the entertainment will be different. You can also look at all of the dining menus. These are pretty accurate even though the dates are old. Remember, you can order as many entrees, appetizers and desserts as you desire at dinner so live a little.

ok so we have a deck 7 aft on port side but was wondering if its worth it to go one level down to deck 6 aft starboard side on the Disney Dream? Opinions?

I've stayed on the Dream aft on deck 7 and it's a great deck because you are insolated by 2 decks of cabins below and above you. It was a very quiet location for my family.

Changing decks and rooms just to switch sides is difficult to advise, without more details. What are you hoping to achieve? Also, it might help to mention the room #s or at least categories.

Not sure if 8 will feel too late or not, but I hate to rush to eat early, and I also read in someone's post that an early dinner seating means a 7am breakfast too?

If I'm remembering correctly, I believe breakfast hours are the same for everyone except for the last morning of your cruise. I know it that way for the buffet and when I ate in the main dining room almost no one was there.

The last morning is the one and only time you have a set time based on your assigned original dining schedule and that is when the main dining was actually busy in the morning on my cruise on the Dream.

Re two cabins. I'm sorry, somehow I lost one of your kids :confused:. You definitely got an incredible deal for a cabin! I paid $3,600 including tax and trip insurance for a 5-day Dream cruise back in June 2012. That was for a Deluxe inside for the four of us that I booked 17 months prior.

My upcoming 7-day Eastern cruise on the Fantasy in May 2015 with your cabin selection is just over $6,000 with everything and I booked it a year out. When you have to cruise during the summer, it's brutal on your wallet, especially when you want to pick your cabin in advance.

I just spent $5,000 at Disney World for our stay during Christmas week, so that mouse's wallet is heavy while mine is feeling pretty light ;).

Please keep those pictures and comments coming! Davidmbfonz I'm loving the story you are sharing with us. I have another question for you.

Just curious why you booked two rooms for a family of four? I know each of the cabins you are in will hold four people. Was it for privacy or did you really want a lot of extra room? We had an Deluxe inside cabin on the Dream on deck 7 right across from your cabin area, but the entrance was in the other hallway. We felt we had plenty of room for my family of four (son 21 & daughter 17 at that time).

We are sailing on the Fantasy in May and we are on deck 7 in a cabin 7178 which is just like yours. I know this cabin is even larger than the Deluxe inside we had the last time. I'm just curious because the addition cost of a second room would make my wallet bleed too much for me to sleep at night:mad:.

You have a perfect balance of words and pictures in my opinion. You are really doing a wonderful job sharing your experience. I am curious what kind of camera you are using because the pictures are really good. Please continue sharing your vacation with us with lots of pictures accompanied by your observations along the way:).

We had a Deluxe Inside Cat 10A on the Dream and loved it! We had plenty of room for two adults and two teenagers. The virtual porthole was absolutley magical.

Your dining rotation is assigned automatically and it starts the first night. You have the option of dining at Cabanas any night you choose. You just don't eat at the dining room that you have been assigned that night. You don't pick the dining room you wish to repeat. If it really matters to you as soon as you board you can try to get a different rotation. Usually people only do this when they are trying to juggle a Remy or Palo reservation and they don't want to miss dining in a particular rotation restaurant.