Our cruise on Disney's Dream is one of our top family vacations. The trip was amazing and we can't wait to go again. I am going to make several different posts about the cruise simply because I feel it is too much to put into one post.
Here is the day 1 report/information. Before leaving, we dressed in our bathing suits; we wanted to waste no time once on the ship. We left a northeast part of Florida on Thursday morning at 8:30 AM and got to the port at 10:30 AM. We drove right in and dropped our bags -- no waiting. Then we went together as a family and parked the car in the parking garage at the port ($15/per day). We walked to the port and through security. We had booked a concierge room and so we went straight to the concierge desk -- no lines, no waiting -- and checked in for the cruise, got our room keys (called Keys To The World), and registered our kids in for the kid zone. They were given an arm band to wear throughout the cruise. We then were directed into a concierge lounge where we waited until 11:45. We boarded the ship around 11:45 and were the 4th family on the ship. Hearing our family's name called as we boarded the ship was certainly special.
Once on the boat, we were escorted to the concierge lounge where there were snacks and drinks. A concierge host was to personally go over our cruise schedule with us. However, there were lots of families filing in and our kids wanted to hit the pool IMMEDIATELY! So we told the concierge we'd come back later. And to the Mickey pool we went!
We spent some time swimming and exploring Deck 11. Then we headed to Cabanas for some lunch. After playing a bit and lunch, we decided to check our stateroom out. (This became available to us at 1:30.) It was huge (especially for a cruise ship). TravelMan instantly zoned in on the TV that was built into the master bathroom mirror. How he spots technology like this so quickly is beyond me. We went back to the concierge lounge where a hostess went over our schedule for the cruise. She also gave the boys Disney puzzles. But the best thing she gave the boys were Detective Agency Cards. This is an interactive game for the kids. They solve a mystery with talking paintings. You receive a map of the ship and there are different paintings on every level of the ship. This is an AWESOME way to explore the ship and keep your kids interested. B wanted to start solving the mystery right away.While exploring the ship, we checked out the kids' play zone -- with Andy's room (from Toy Story), a laugh floor (from Monsters Inc.), a dress up area (from Tinkerbell's Pixie Hallow), plus lots of other areas, games, toys, etc. This area is HUGE! Loads to do!!
Also, while exploring the ship, B spotted Donald Duck out on the deck with NO ONE else around. Donald spent about 10 minutes with just our kids. This is almost unheard of. It was neat-o and one of our highlights of the trip. Donald was great! He even went and helped the boys with part of the Detective Agency game.
We headed back to our cabin around 3:30. By now, M really could have used a nap but it was almost time for the dreaded part of every cruise...the muster station drill. So at 4:00 we headed out to our station (station G). It was on deck 4 and on the outside running track. You don't have to wear a life jacket to these drills any longer so that was a nice surprise.When we got back to our stateroom, our luggage was there. We bathed the boys, took showers, and got ready for dinner.
Disney has a rotating dining schedule. Our first restaurant was Animator's Palate. A favorite of the kids and a perfect one for the first night. It held M's attention the entire time. The walls are video screens, so it looks like you can see out into the ocean. All sort of characters from Finding Nemo come up on the screens throughout the meal. The turtle (Crush) comes and even talks to different tables...so that part is interactive.
We thought the food was average on the entire boat. The kids loved the Mickey ice cream bars that were available on the ship.
After dinner, we delivered our FE gifts (more to come on that later). Then, we went to see the show Golden Mickeys. It was very well done -- not your usual "cheesy" cruise ship show. It was almost an hour long but held both the boys' attention. Then it was back to our stateroom where cookies and milk awaited us for a bedtime snack. (Note: I had called ahead to room service to have those there as a surprise for the boys.)
THE AQUADUCK:
TravelMan and B riding the AquaDuck. How could I forget to write about this? It is a huge water slide that actually goes over the ocean. B was quick to ride this once we got to the pool. The waiting time was about 10 minutes when he rode it. More about this ride later...
TravelLady Rating: After day one of the ship, I recommend it for traveling with your kids!