Disney Dream Review, June 20-24; Mostly Positive...

[macbest]

Here are the highs and lows of our recent Disney Dream cruise. As background, we are frequent cruisers, and have also sailed Disney twice before, once on the Wonder, and once on the Magic. We are a family of 4 with adult children.

 

Highs

• The one bedroom suite was easily the nicest suite/accommodations I have had at sea. Very roomy, two bathrooms with two showers made this ideal for the 4 of us. They also had both a sofa bed and a Murphy bed which allowed everyone to sleep comfortably. The master bathroom is amazing (and the TV that shows through the mirror really cool.
  
• The concierge lounge and staff on in the lounge were great. Also nice to have a few drinks at different times of day (for free) and the espresso machine was the best coffee on the ship (captain got his coffee there each day).
  
• Palo, the alternative restaurant was very good, although our service was just so-so. It continues to definitely be worth the extra $20 and it is adults only.
  
• The other dining menus were just at the “good” level. Nothing to write home about. (Food is always subjective) We all agreed that Princess food was universally better (except for the chicken fingers throughout the ship; there are nothing like them on any ship. But how many of these could you eat?).
  
• Fireworks at sea; this is just over the top. Although it only lasted like 9 minutes. I thought it was much longer on past Disney ships, but I'm not certain.
  
• We are not big on buying the pictures on board, ever. But they had a good package that let us get ALL of the pictures they had taken of us (and our daughters took pictures with every character) AND the digital ones of same on a CD for a flat rate. I think it was like $300 which sounds pricey, and was, but this was for like 50-60+ pictures.
  
• The bar area (adults only) at night was great. Sports bar was fun (watched the Euro soccer matches) and another bar that has this changing landscape out the windows; they shot city pictures of key cities and they show up on the “windows” which runs the entire length of the bar, changing to a new city every 15 minutes. But these are like “movies” not pictures as cars are moving, lights go on and off, etc. Very, very cool. The other bars there like “Pink” that just sold champagne (and hi end at that) were also small and cozy. These all allowed a break from some of the chaos. And the drinks were wonderful there.
  
• The shows were all Broadway quality. The Golden Mickey’s our favorite, the Villains next and least favorite was Dreams (or maybe it was called Believe). But even as our least favorite, they all were enjoyable. The Disney Imagineering group is incredible how they incorporate so many special effects into the show. Really not to be missed on board. We had to get to the theater to line up 40 min! in advance of the show to get a seat. Ugh.
  
• We saw a late night comedian in the adult area that was hilarious. And he didn’t use one cuss word…
  
• We love any private island, but Castaway Cay, especially the adult side where we had rented a private cabana was sublime. We were there first (around 9am) and had the ENTIRE beach to ourselves for at least a good hour. Probably took others time to figure out how to get there! We hung out in the water, had an amazing lunch of rib eye steak (one of the best I’ve had in ages). Alright, it was SOO good I had three steaks over several hours, but hay, they were really thin :) This day was the highlight of the trip. The Cabana was great to relax in, had free sunscreen, water, sodas, and they would pick you up in a golf cart to take you to lunch and wait to return you to the cabana to enjoy your lunch in your own space.
  

 

Lows

• Kids were overwhelming. I like kids (I have two daughters that are now grown), and I know this IS a Disney cruise so there will be plenty. But the behavior of many of them were completely out of control. And the parents did nothing to watch over them. I'm seeing this more and more on various vacations. The parents basically let them run wild. One parent let his 1 year old crawl on the ground near the entrance to the theater and I nearly stepped right on him! WHO lets their kid crawl around like that when hundreds of people are about to enter the theater? We complained to officer personnel (no one else on staff would address it) on several occasions and they finally took care of the one-offs we were pointing out (i.e., parents inside eating a restaurant, kids out running up and down running into people, screaming and yelling. Crazy. I have read several reviews here about whether Disney cruises are good for adults. We really thought this wasn't going to be an issue and that with the adult restaurants, adult pool, adult bars, we would be fine. Alas, this was probably the deal breaker for us returning to Disney Cruise line.
  
• Aqua coaster was really fun, but alas, I was only able to ride it once as it was either broken down (it happened twice to us while we were in line), or too busy (waits of 45 min were common). The one time we were able to ride was right after the lifeboat drill.
  
• Wine selection was very poor at the mid-price range. There were some over $100 bottles that were nice, but you shouldn’t have to pay that much for a nice bottle of wine. Other lines typically have 15 different good reds between $35-65 as an example.
  
• We had poor weather during the first two days. It rained in Nassau, and so they cancelled our excursion to Atlantis where we were going to hang out at their river pool. This made little sense as it was raining, and we were going to be wet all day in the water anyway. This was a huge disappointment. But we did catch probably the first part of the tropical depression, Debby, so that probably had a lot to do with it. When we were queuing up for the excursion onboard, there was a lot of confusion as to the trip being cancelled or not. I got fed up with the mixed messages and went back to the concierge lounge; while they were a bit confused initially, one of the staff there took it on and went and got the REAL answer in a matter of 5 minutes: due to potential lightening strikes, trip was cancelled. A lot of people took this out on the concierge staff, which was unfortunate. Disney does a lot, but they can’t control the weather (yet).
  
• Our at sea day is where we really felt the impact of the numerous, uncontrolled kids. Again, thank goodness we had the retreat of the concierge lounge and separate sun deck to get away (and the bars).
  
• Food just wasn’t up to the usual Disney standard anywhere. Again, good, but nothing was even “very good”. And the noise at dinner was so unbearable with kids running around and yelling (and crying). There has to be a way for the Maitre 'd to have a little more separation in the dining rooms. They know all the ages of the party and we did enough adult only parties that they could have put us to one side of the restaurant. Also, the seating in Animator's Palate is extremely tight, you are practically sitting with other parties.

 

So the question is, would we do it again? We decided this would be our last Disney cruise, until we have grand kids, and none of them are on the horizon….

 

Let me know if you have any questions. As usual, these boards prove invaluable in providing great tips and suggestions. I hope these highs and lows helps someone else out.

[Muushka]

Great review, thank you.

 

We are kidless and hoping that our cruise next year has good little munchkins on board.

 

Thanks for the Aqua Duck tip, right after muster drill, got it!

[eroller]

Thanks for the excellent review! For me, the key to experiencing DCL at it's best is to only sail when kids are in school. This applies to other mass-market lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and NCL as well. I don't have kids and I rarely sail during the Summer months and never during a school holiday. Of course on Disney you are never going to escape the kids completely, but there are far, far fewer kids during the off-season, and those that are onboard tend to be very young, cute (especially when they see the Disney characters), and for the most part well behaved. The other bonus is the weather is much better (not so humid and less rain), and prices are excellent. My favorite times to cruise are October, early November, early December, and late January into February.

 

Ernie

[jlat]

Thanks for posting a most excellent and objective review. DCL's meat and potatoes are family cruisers. While they do make quality space available for adults, they struggle when it comes to keeping kids from overrunning the ship and impacting the vacation of others. I've had things spilt on my clothes, been run into and have kids screeching in my ears during shows, all the while the parents are oblivious. My girls are older now, but on previous DCL cruises, they have been pushed out of lines to get on water slides, had game controllers snatched out of their hands, had kids jump in front of them when trying to get food, drink or ice cream, all under the watchful eye of DCL crew. They simply do not want to risk making a parent upset and possibly losing another cruise booking.

[OurDogCisco]

I had a problem with the noise on our last Disney Dream cruise last June too. My kids are now 14 and 11 years old so, I wasn't use to it. I thought it was a sign of old age. I can't wait until I can travel off season... One of these days.

[lisaann]

My husband and I were on the same Dream sailing with our 7-year-old son. We encountered a number of unsupervised children, too, and were in line when the Aqua Duck track stopped working! On the at-sea day, our wait for the Aqua Duck was so long, we were able to watch an entire movie on the big screen during our wait. I don't even want to know how many minutes that was. Crazy.

 

My only real complaint relates to one aspect of the stop in Nassau. As the OP noted, it was exceptionally rainy. We decided to wander the port despite the rain and were pleasantly surprised when we were each handed a complimentary rain poncho at debarcation. We were one of the last families to receive the ponchos. I'm still not sure if they ran out or if a crew member learned the ponchos were only for guests on excursions (as rumored). There were many very angry families behind us as we stepped off the ship!

 

My son loved the children's activities, though, so we booked our next cruise while on board. If hubby and I were to go alone, we'd choose another cruise line.

[macbest]

I did forget one additional low: dress code. Frankly there isn't any. They ask that you not wear shorts and/or t-shirts in the dining room at dinner time. Well they don't monitor or refuse anyone on what they wear. I asked them about this as I didn't care for what many others were wearing. They said they won't do anything to turn away a guest!

 

What that means is all of you worried about what to wear and what not to, throw it out the window- as they will let you wear practically ANYTHING in the dining room! It's a shame. The boat reminds me of the Cunard line ships with its color scheme, majestic, grand. And you would think that the dining room would reflect that grandeur. This is the first line I've been on that doesn't enforce regularly the simple dress code.

[aggiegirl1234]

Thanks for the excellent review! For me, the key to experiencing DCL at it's best is to only sail when kids are in school.

 

Thanks for the great review! I'm going on January 6th next year...it hasn't been too long since I was in college, and I know we were still on break then, but are younger students still on break? I vaguely remember school starting a few days after the new year. Is that true for most students? I'm hoping so to avoid what the OP was describing :eek:

[vivavegas]

Thank you for a very informative review!:) I often think about doing a Disney cruise, but think better of it when I hear about "all" the kids!:)

[robhawk]

Yes, most kids that are in grades 1-12 are back in school by January 3

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for doing a review of your cruise. Did you have a good time in spite of the negatives.

[macbest]

Did you have a good time in spite of the negatives.

 

Absolutely. Disney really does it right. It was a relaxing break and of course, cruising anywhere, at any time is better than working!

[Carmenere]

Thanks for the great review! I'm going on January 6th next year...it hasn't been too long since I was in college, and I know we were still on break then, but are younger students still on break? I vaguely remember school starting a few days after the new year. Is that true for most students? I'm hoping so to avoid what the OP was describing :eek:

We also are on that sailing with a 11 year old and picked this specifically because most kids will be in school. The cruise is what you make of it, it will be great we love Disney cruising. By the way when you go be a kid again and you will love it!

[alaska_planner]

so you were overwhelmed by kids even being in concierge?

this makes me nervous!!

 

we'll also be in the 1 bedroom and i was hoping for a bit of insulation from the hordes of unruly kids :eek:

[macbest]

so you were overwhelmed by kids even being in concierge?

this makes me nervous!!

 

we'll also be in the 1 bedroom and i was hoping for a bit of insulation from the hordes of unruly kids :eek:

 

I thought it was MUCH better in the concierge with respect to kids. They all were well behaved and if they got rowdy the concierge staff seemed to find a way to occupy them. Also the private deck with access only through the lounge rarely had kids there. That was an oasis! Except when they had the private character meet and greet which was fun and exclusive.

[alaska_planner]

I thought it was MUCH better in the concierge with respect to kids. They all were well behaved and if they got rowdy the concierge staff seemed to find a way to occupy them. Also the private deck with access only through the lounge rarely had kids there. That was an oasis! Except when they had the private character meet and greet which was fun and exclusive.

 

i hope our concierge kids are as well behaved as yours!! :)

[TITISSA]

DH and I just got back from the Dream. We only ate at the Main Dining Room on the first night. Our food was so bad that we ate at Palo (twice) and Remy (once) for the rest of the cruise. Of course it is a Disney cruise and there will be hundreds of kids, so we spent the entire cruise avoiding them. This was our second Disney cruise (first time we went as a family when our kids were little) and it will be our last Disney cruise until we have grandkids. I'm glad I went but not again...

[alaska_planner]

you all are making me very nervous!!!

 

my mom and sister are disney haters!!!

 

but the dream is a much nicer ship than is available on any other cruise line for just 4 days out of PC in october....so the dream it is..

 

regarding the shows - do you think we'll be ok showing up after the big line has already gone into the theater? i know they're not going to be happy standing in a crazy big line..

[TITISSA]

you all are making me very nervous!!!

 

my mom and sister are disney haters!!!

 

but the dream is a much nicer ship than is available on any other cruise line for just 4 days out of PC in october....so the dream it is..

 

regarding the shows - do you think we'll be ok showing up after the big line has already gone into the theater? i know they're not going to be happy standing in a crazy big line..

 

 

Sorry, I don't want to discourage you from going on a Disney cruise without kids. My husband also doesn't like all things Disney. He tolerated it when the kids were young and we took a lot of land Disney vacations. But I think Disney ships are beautiful, and service is impeccable. The fourth of july cruise that we were in, I didn't even tell DH we were going on a Disney cruise. When we arrived at the airport and did the check in to get on the bus he was shocked and was like "why the hell are we going on a Disney cruise without kids?" But I wanted to go back to Castaway Cay and the cruise was worth it just for that.

 

Regarding the shows I never saw any lines at all. Maybe I arrived at the right time when all the little ones were seated already.

 

Go on your cruise and enjoy the ship. Try to stay away from the kids and it will be a good experience.

[alaska_planner]

Sorry, I don't want to discourage you from going on a Disney cruise without kids. My husband also doesn't like all things Disney. He tolerated it when the kids were young and we took a lot of land Disney vacations. But I think Disney ships are beautiful, and service is impeccable. The fourth of july cruise that we were in, I didn't even tell DH we were going on a Disney cruise. When we arrived at the airport and did the check in to get on the bus he was shocked and was like "why the hell are we going on a Disney cruise without kids?" But I wanted to go back to Castaway Cay and the cruise was worth it just for that.

 

Regarding the shows I never saw any lines at all. Maybe I arrived at the right time when all the little ones were seated already.

 

Go on your cruise and enjoy the ship. Try to stay away from the kids and it will be a good experience.

 

 

i've reserved a cabana at serenity bay for us, so if the weather is kind, CC should be rather heavenly :)

[macbest]

I agree with the others that have posted here, that if you go without kids, you really need to find out how to stay away from them. I think I should have done what Titissa did and went to Palo and Remy and avoided the main dining rooms; that would have been much more pleasant and relaxing; our one Palo night was very relaxing and quiet. Quite an Oasis and well worth the $20.

 

I think one way to consider avoiding a long line is to have late seating dinner. That way, you go to the show beforehand. Since parents with kids usually like to eat early, choosing a late dinner may afford you some extra niceties including less lines for the early show.

[disneyprincesscruisestyle]

Hey! So my family of 24 and I are going on the Disney Dream this winter. We have all age ranges (6-76). Of course we think the kids are going to have a blast and the adults will relax but what kinds of things are there for 17-20 year olds? They're too young for the bars and are too old for what the "teen lounges" look like. Did anyone have kids this age? And what did they do?

[deborahjo]

Thanks for the honest review. This is a cruise we are looking for for 2014 as 2 adults. Have sailed Disney before but wanting to try again.

[gjd123]

I have always sailed with adults and/or older teens and never had any problem, probably because we didn't sail during summer or holiday school vacations. I think it must make a huge difference when you go. Unfortunately, unsupervised children seem often to be the norm these days whether on a cruise ship, an onshore restaurant or while shopping! Sadly, I think that where we probably noticed the badly-behaved kids more in the past, now the well-behaved ones stand out!