Disney Dream Reviews Disney Dream Cruise Ship Reviews

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DISNEY DREAM CRUISE SHIP REVIEW
By Paula Hughes Court

As a veteran of 20+ cruises on various lines from 5-star to mass market I
thought all cruise lines were basically the same with a few variations thrown in
here and there. After a quick two day stay on the brand new Disney Dream I
realized this is definitely not the case. On a Disney cruise what you’re paying
for is a total immersive Disney experience. From the moment you’re welcomed
on board with a Royal Ball style greeting “Welcome Onboard Court Family!” to
the final Mickey Mouse towel animal placed on the bed you’ll be surrounded by
Disney’s special touches and extreme attention to details. For this reason I
highly recommend a Disney Dream cruise for all families with children.

Though difficult to narrow it down, my 15-year-old daughter, Claudia and I
compiled a list of our favorite things about the new Disney Dream. Here is our
list of the:

Top Ten Reasons to Sail on the New Disney Dream Cruise Ship:

10. FREE SOFT DRINKS-The majority of cruise lines charge $2-4 per soft
drink so most families buy the soft drink package which averages around $6.50
per child, per day. This adds up to be quite a hefty sum for a family on a 7-day
cruise. A Disney Dream cruise includes free unlimited soft drinks for everyone
in the family.

9. MICKEY’S PIRATES IN THE CARIBBEAN DECK PARTY-On the Disney
Dream the party starts at 8 pm so young cruisers can enjoy the fun. We’re not
talking about a simple pirate party with dancing and costumes here. At this
party, the whole Disney crew including Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and
Goofy teach young pirates on deck how to become part of Mickey’s Pirate crew
so they can battle the evil Captain Hook. In a surprise move, Captain Jack
Sparrow rappels down a rope hanging from the ship's funnel. The deck party is
followed later by Buccaneer Blast, a spectacular fireworks show set to the
music from Pirates of the Caribbean.

8. FANTASTIC DESSERTS (EVEN ON THE BUFFET)-This may not seem like a
big deal but it is to me and I suspect to many other people as well. The
desserts on most cruise lines look wonderful. Unfortunately, they usually taste
bland or worse, especially the desserts served in the buffet areas. I can
honestly say the desserts on Disney Dream were the first cruise desserts that
taste as good as they look. We especially liked the Carrot Cake, Key Lime Pie,
Cheese Cake and of course the Cookies and Cream Sundae at Animator’s
Palate and Bananas Foster Sundae at the Enchanted Garden.

7. FAMILY FRIENDLY STATEROOMS WITH NEW INNOVATIVE TOUCHES-
Most Disney Dream staterooms feature a split bath with a vanity/sink and
shower/tub in the full bathroom and a vanity/sink and toilet in the half
bathroom. Even with only two of us in a cabin this came in very handy. The
queen size bed in the stateroom is a real queen not two twins squeezed
together. Also the bed sits high off the floor so there's plenty of room
underneath to hide suitcases. The Sealy Posturepedic Premium Plush Euro-top
matttress was the most comfortable cruise line mattress I've ever slept on. The
bed felt exactly the same as the one we enjoyed the previous night at the 5-
star Grand Floridian Resort where rooms start at $470 per night. The
staterooms also include an ipod docking station with a clock (beware the blue
light...ours inexplicably turned into a strobe light in the middle of the night) and
a unique Key to the World card holder by the door which also turns on the
lights.

6. AVAILABILITY OF DISNEY CHARACTERS FOR PHOTOS AND HUGS-As
we all know, meeting the Disney characters is the number one thrill for children.
On the Disney Dream the daily “Personal Navigator” lists exactly where each
character will be and for how long. Want to have photos taken with Princess
Aurora? No problem. You can find her in the atrium from 6-6:30. If your child is
really into characters you could almost plan out the entire day going from one
area to another meeting Disney characters. The Princess Gathering featuring
Snow White, Cinderella, Princess Aurora, Princess Tiana and Sleeping Beauty
is another not-to-be-missed activity and fantastic photo opportunity.

5. MID SHIP DETECTIVE AGENCY GAME-This interactive scavenger hunt
type game proved to be a hit both with kids and adults. First you go to the “Mid
Ship Detective Agency” on deck five to activate your detective badge and
choose either “Case of the Missing Puppies” or “Case of the Stolen Paintings.”
Then you must find paintings throughout the ship which animate once the
sensors detect your badge. The paintings will give you clues to solve the
mystery. Trust me, this is much more fun than it sounds and is a great activity
for parents to do with younger kids or for older children to do as teams. Late on
the last night, I noticed several adults wandering around alone still trying to
solve the mystery. The paintings change every day so kids can play it again
and again.

4. “DISNEY’S BELIEVE” AND “THE GOLDEN MICKEYS” THEATRICAL
SHOWS.It was a toss up between which show we liked the best. “The Golden
Mickeys” featured some of our favorite Disney characters while the Genie in
“Disney’s Believe” could easily do a show all on his own. Either way they’re
both terrific and entertaining for passengers of all ages. A master illusionist
designed several of the magical effects in the “Disney’s Believe” show so try to
sit mid-theater for the best view of the “magic.” The first couple of rows is a little
too close plus the smoke seemed to engulf the guests in the front row for
longer than it should have.

3. ANIMATOR’S PALATE FEATURING THE CAST OF "FINDING NEMO." We
were completely wowed by this gorgeous restaurant and its interactive
entertainment. Upon entering the restaurant you’ll find black and white
sketches from the movie “Finding Nemo”. As the dinner progresses, the
sketches change into a vivid undersea environment swimming with Bruce the
shark, Dory, Nemo and Crush, the totally awesome surfer dude turtle.

About halfway through dinner, guests begin to realize Crush is actually
interacting personally with diners in the room. As he "swims" around the room
he teases back and forth with diners and asks questions. After dinner he
taught us all a few new surfer dance moves before leading the room in a group
dance. Animator’s Palate is an over-the-top delightful experience. We would
have eaten here every night if given the choice. Loved it!

2. OCEANEER CLUB FOR KIDS 3-10 YEARS OLD-Once the kids get a peek
into the Oceaneer Club you won’t see them again for the rest of the cruise. And
really, why should they leave? Everything a child could possibly imagine to do
or play with is in these rooms. My favorite area is Andy's Room where kids can
play with a life size Mr. Potato Head and crawl through a huge Slinky Dog.
Other areas include Pixie Hollow an room designed for crafts, dress up play
and storytelling sessions.

And of course, the Number 1 reason why you should cruise on Disney
Dream:

1. THE AQUADUCK WATER COASTER RIDE-The one thing everyone must do
on the Disney Dream is ride the AquaDuck. It’s fun, exhilarating and a truly
unique cruise-industry first. The ride lasts just under a minute and is full of
twists, turns and plenty of splashes. We thought the ride was a perfect blend of
thrills...not too fast, not too scary....just perfect.

Now that we've named our favorite things about Disney Dream we want to
mention one small thing that didn't work as well as it should have. The one
"miss" on the ship is the entrance to the teen club Vibe .The daily Navigator
lists the Vibe as being on Deck 5 when in reality only the handicapped
entrance is on this floor. To get to Vibe, you must walk down to Deck 4, go
outside, then wander down a long, isolated area which resembles an off limit
crew area until you'll finally see a small sign leading up a stairwell to Vibe. My
teenage daughter and I walked to Vibe at night and honestly it was creepy and
too isolated for my comfort level. The cast members working at Vibe assured
me the security cameras watch the area closely but I still hope they tighten up
the safety issue of this particular area considering it's for teenagers.