Writing a mostly uncomplimentary review of a Disney Cruise is more difficult than I imagined. First, let me be clear. I enjoyed this cruise a great deal, but as this review will make clear, there is more................or less to a Disney Cruise than meets the eye. First, I am a long time cruiser with double-digit cruises under my belt. Before Disney, my wife and I sailed with Norwegian, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean. In fact, the fact that this was not my first cruise is most certainly a factor in my disappointment with this trip. Disappointment is the "key" word here. I think I just expected more from Disney, and, in this case Disney failed to deliver. Did I over-expect? I honestly don't think so, but to each his own. The most concise description I can offer is simply this; if you are an eight year old, a Disney cruise is AWESOME, but if you are not, a Disney cruise is just AVERAGE. While there is much that Disney does right for a children's themed cruise activity, there is also the overwhelmingly obvious fact that when it comes to the more traditional "cruise" experience for everyone else, Disney simply rests on its laurels and does only enough to "get by." There seems to be an attitude that pervades the entire ship that says, " we are Disney and we can sell as much of this that we want all day long, so why make any extra effort." And in reality it is true. They don't have to compete with other cruise lines for the "traditional" cruise customer. Why go to the trouble of having live entertainment, lavish production shows, an orchestra or high quality food offerings when you can sell your product with canned music, a handful of mediocre performers, and second rate food fare? They are wildly successful without making the extra effort. There is nothing wrong with that, but potential cruisers should be aware of the fact that there are much better cruise experiences out there for a whole lot less money.

The Disney Dream is a beautiful ship and its crew is pleasant, helpful, and efficient. However, much of the design of the ship seems curious. Long hallways, a small centrum style lobby that seems to have no purpose other than to serve as a photo backdrop for hundreds of rabid Disney fans, and, again I have no problems with Disney fans. I'm kind of one myself. The children's swimming areas are crowded and small. The water park area for toddlers is almost too small to be useful. The so-called adult pool area is so embarrassingly plain and dull that it basically screams, "afterthought."

Our cabin was a Family stateroom that adjoined that of our son and his family. The rooms were beautiful. Spacious, well designed, and comfortable. The huge porthole window seats were hit with our two grandsons. The dual room bathroom is novel, and it works very well. The "trick" of using your ship card to activate the power in the room is neither intuitive or useful, but it is something that you eventually will get used to. The only downside was the location of our cabins. They were situated in the aft section of deck seven, and the Dream has an unpleasant habit of "wagging its tail" in heavy seas. The ride was a bit rough from time to time. Read more