Just returned from a 4-day Very Merrytime Bahamian cruise aboard the Disney Dream; this was our third cruise on the Dream and second using concierge. However this was our first 4-day cruise on Disney and compared to the 3-day, this cruise was packed with people. We were also celebrating 2 Birthdays. Although Disney cruises focus on kids, there are plenty of adult activities. The shows are top-notch; loved the Palo brunch; had fun playing the Midship Detective game; and the meet and greets with the various costumed actors was great. We did have a few hic-ups: our stateroom door stopped working on the first day right before the sail away party which we therefore missed (we enjoy this activity quite a bit). The repair took about an hour and was handled expertly; I do understand that things break. The second issue was with Senses: when buying our $170 Rainforest access pass, we were told there were a limited number of passes (80). Well, other than the first night, we weren’t able to use the hot-tubs or heated beds because of availability so apparently passes were not as “limited” as we were led to believe. Senses also provided a hair treatment (blow-out) and applied a “treatment” without discussing the price: what should have cost @ $65 was billed at $156. This up-charge was not approved but never-the-less charged. One positive with Senses was a $50 coupon given to 1 of the birthday ‘girls’ but it had expired the month prior to our sailing date. When the second birthday ‘girl’ asked for the coupon at Guest Services, she was told she had to have her birthday while on-board (her birthday was the day we got off the ship and therefore we were on-board). The other birthday was the day before we boarded so this explanation is wrong/inappropriate. Disney cruises are wonderful. However our experiences with Senses and Disney Guest Services was sub-par; no one’s birthday should be ignored and invalidated. Why did Disney not want to celebrate my daughter turning 25? Read Less

We choose this cruise because we heard so much about how Disney cruising is the best of the best and sets the standard for all,other cruise lines, as well as it being a Merry Christmastime cruise.That being said, while it was a very nice ship and a wonderful cruise, it was not the ‘be all, end all’ of cruising. The 3 Disney shows were very entertaining but the juggler and the ventriloquist were average run of the mill entertainment. In addition, the food, while good, was no better or worse than we’ve had on other cruise lines. If you have children, then I would say that Disney is definitely the cruise line to choose. The character interaction with the kids was great as there always seemed to be characters moving around and meeting with the kids. If you don’t, the cruise was still very good, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call it fantastic. Read Less

Here are 10 Quick Things You need to know 1. This ship is over 20 years old and it shows. From rusty spots on the balconies to musty smells in the rooms, this ship is definitely showing it's age. 2. The dinner food is mediocre. It's served lukewarm because they're serving hundreds of people at once so chances are your food was waiting to be delivered to your table while they got all the dishes ready. 3. The Staff is amazing and they definitely take service to the next level. 4. Bring you're own camera for the character photos. The staff will use your camera and take one with the cruise photographer's camera. Their digital photos cost $250 for 20 photos. At such a ridiculous price it makes no sense to purchase their photos if you have a good camera. In fact this may justify getting a good camera if you want lots of pictures with characters and princesses. 5. If you have a stop at Walt Disney World link your tickets and book your FastPasses 6 months in advance if possible. 6. The character breakfasts and excursions book up early. You need to book those events the minute they become available. 7. You don't need to book character photo experiences because there will be an opportunity to take a photo with almost every character at some point and time as long as your willing to wait in line for 30mins to an hour. 8. Everything is billed to your credit card so no need to bring cash unless you are going to Disney World. Then bring all the cash you can, because that place is expensive. 9. Download the Disney Cruise App before you board. The cruise Wifi is overpriced and slow. They will give you 50MB free if you stop by Guest Services on the first day but that disappears quickly. You can see your 50MB just trickling away on their app even when you aren't doing anything. 10. The pools and hot tubs are small. The first day the family pool was full of kids and parents to the point where you could barely move. At the same time the adult pool had 3 people in it with room for 40 more. Read Less

Our 26 family members have been planning this cruise for over a year . My wife and I sail with Celebrity Aqua twice a year, so are used to fabulous food and over the top service, others had sailed RCCL, and one Silversea. But for most of us, this was our first Disney. I think to sum it up, they have a very devoted following, so they don’t try as hard to please as other lines. Embarkation was slow. The port has no embarkation side and debarkation side, so everyone is going against each other to enter and leave. You wait in the terminal over an hour to get on. Our rooms were ready and perfectly clean. We loved our room host, who was fabulous. Now, you have the same wait staff in the dining rooms each night. This is great if they are great but.....We waited at least 15 to 20 minutes to have our drink order. So we learned very quickly to bring our drinks with us to the table each night. We also waited the same for our food, which was just ok and consistently room temperature. Even the soup was cold. We had the turkey one night which was so dry you had to wash it down with water. I would expect this on a discount line, but not the most expensive one we had been on. Cabanas had very inconsistent hours. One time half was open, and the other closed. My first morning I woke up at 630 and went to get coffee, to be told “ not ready yet” Breakfast with eggs not until 730! I am used to standing in line ordering my eggs and enjoying a hot breakfast. Not so. It took 10 min to fry an egg, so the choice is taking already cooked eggs from a dish, and toast from a dish, all Luke warm. We all joked that when we got off the ship we could have a hot meal! The French fries and chicken tenders were hot. Ok enough about food. Several family members had to do some work, which brings us to the internet package. 1000 mb for $89! No unlimited package! You can churn through that in one day, just checking mail. To say rip off, is an understatement. And connectivity inconsistent. I’ve had better connections on Transatlantics. And when we went down to talk with WiFi person, he was either at a meal or gone. The characters were the highlight, and the clubs for the little ones wonderful. The tweens were not as happy with their offerings. The ports were great and excursions excellent. So... Not sure about Disney. RCCL has many fund things for kids, a new water park planned on their private island and better food. And for the adults, Celebrity hands down for everything! Read Less

This cruise was basically the third change we had to make to our vacation plans thanks to work schedule. We originally booked our cruise with Allure of the Seas, but watching too many videos of that ship I had the impression that the Oasis-class ships are nothing but mere floating malls in the ocean - no theme, no character. We wanted a cruise that was going to be memorable before I head to a long deployment. After much deliberation, we went back to the Dream as our last cruise with them three years was exactly just that - it was magical. This cruise went out exactly the same way as we had it three years ago. We got our transportation arranged from the airport, and the whole embarkation process was smooth like before. Once on the ship, we had our cabin on the tenth deck, middle, just below the pool deck. I found our location to be very convenient to wherever we needed to go. We had access to two nearby elevators, and the pool deck are just a deck up. We also noted that our balcony is directly below the pool deck, so like an awning, it was well protected from the elements which I found nice. The room itself had shown some age to it. I'm not sure when and if the ship have ever been refurbished, but with my OCD, I quickly found scuff and wear marks on the light switches and fixture parts that have been heavily touched through the years. Expecting a premium product for this price, it was hard for me to see past that glare of the wear. Our embarkation lunch at Cabanas were not too pleasant. It was way too crowded, open tables were hard to find, and I found some of the servers unwelcoming. Once we got our seats, we did find the food less desirable than the last time we were on the ship. We brought these issues to management and were given immediate answers to our concerns. Over the following days, we experienced the same magical moments that we had the first time we cruised with these ship. Public spaces were clean and looked just as ornate as before. For those that haven't cruised on this ship, Disney did not spare on the small details in creating their theme on the ship. Their shows were of Broadway caliber, especially beauty and the beast. Their character meet and greets were always a hit with the kids, if you don't mind waiting up to a half hour. And because this was a holiday themed cruise, they went over the top for showcasing Santa. As well, their pirate show fireworks on the top deck was an extravaganza. Hands down it was the coolest experience I've ever had at Sea. Our day at Castaway Cay was just Divine. I still can't forget how beautiful and perfect the island looked. It didn't feel over crowded and there were ample opportunities to just unwind and take it all in. Buffet services followed us there and it was great. No complaints. Food was something that this ship have to at least revamp. It was almost the same menu we had three years ago, so we were not as excited this time. Also, we were not served lobster on this cruise, not one time, which I found surprising. On the other hand, we were able to enjoy our previous favorites instead. I was about to write off Disney from our future cruise consideration after this trip, but what made us book another future cruise with them is the fact that our daughter had the best time of her life at their Kids club while the peace of mind it gave us allowed us parents to enjoy our own time at Sea. I don't think we even want to risk trying that out with other cruise lines and be disappointed. Another biggest factor that made us decide to book another future cruise with them is their customer service. They truly went above and beyond to ensure that, despite the issues we raised, we had a magical experience on this ship. Our guest manager was exemplary, and nothing short of commendable. When we disembarked, we felt highly satisfied that the cruise fulfilled our expectations. So much that we ended up cancelling our Royal Caribbean cruise for next year, and ended up prebooking our next Disney cruise with an even bigger family in tow. Disney cruises are not the cheapest out there, but the many repeat cruisers we had on board can't be wrong on going again for the Disney experience. With the amount of people already prebooking their cruise, we can't be wrong on making that decision either. It's simply the best cruise experience for families, and definitely something to strongly consider if you've never cruised with Disney cruises before. Read Less

First Disney Cruise, 3rd cruise overall, first time Concierge service, ship was in great shape since it's the 1st one to sail. Will be very hard if we sail again not to get Concierge service. Our Concierge team of Alina, Emannela and Nicky were fantastic, there for every need. Our Serving team of Hilash Harinath, Cornel Besoi and Dumitru Cabut were all great and finally our stateroom host Flore Mihai always had a smile on her face and helpful. As for the Cruise leaving N.Y. In Nov on Sat. was a little chilly didn't start to feel warmer till Monday. My step-daughter & granddaughter finally got to use the pool & hot tub by then. Tuesday we arrived at Castaway Cay which was beautiful, Temp was about 85 but windy so no feeding the stingrays, wind surfing and jet ski's, but still had a great time in the water. We also had a Cabana #12, very close to the restrooms and not too far from the food. Then Wed. on to WDW again very warm and very crowded (Magic Kingdom). Back on ship early, Thurs. was Pirate Night and show was very good including the fireworks, was surprised it wasn't moved inside because the sea was a little rough. Overall really nothing bad to say about the cruise at all. My family on the other hand was a different story. Never had breakfast other than in the cabin so it was boxed cereal and Danish etc. Went to Concierge Lounge a few times for coffee and finger sandwiches and desserts. Not to sound harsh but don't bring anyone who can't get around very well, needed me to hold on to even with a cane. Granddaughter had a great time but could never get off the phone and play games. She did join the tweens club and went there a few times and did say she had a good time why she didn't go more I don't know. Also don't bring someone who doesn't like crowds, our day at WDW was very crowded and warm. We arrived at WDW about 9:30 am, then went thru security which took way too long need more agents, so it was about 10am by the time we got into the park, by 1:30 our granddaughter was ready to leave are you kidding me (10 yrs old) Used our 3 V.I.P. passes in no time so only went on 3 rides, Haunted Mansion, Pirates and Splash Mountain, that's it so WDW was a waste. Never saw Epcot, Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. Got to see the new movie "The Nutcracker" was ok not one of Disney's best. Never went to any shows, pretty much stayed in the cabin # 8534 which was very nice but at times heard people running on deck 9 so if you don't mind a little noise here and there then cabin is ok. Sat out on the Verandah only 2 - 3 times another waste and finally dinner, you have dinner at 3 different restaurants, well we went to each restaurant just 1 time each so the other nights we ate in our cabin. So overall for all the money spent it wasn't worth it. Would I go again, yes just with different people. Read Less

Our family just returned from our second cruise on the Disney Dream and it was juast as amazing as our first! This was the first Very Merrytime Cruise and the ship was near capacity. We had an 11:45am arrival time, but actually made it there by 10:45am. The line to get through the initial ID check was short and the security line was not bad (maybe 10-15 minute wait). Once we went upstairs, the terminal was packed. We were lucky to get boarding group 12. They started boarding around 11:30am and we were on before noon. Going on the ship was easy and the atrium was beautifully decorated. We were sad to see the gingerbread house was not yet finished, but they worked on it during the cruise. Lunch was at Cabana’s and the only issue I had was with the rock crab. It had an odd, musty taste and I stopped eating it. I should have mentioned it to the crew, but we were wanting to get finished up. It was very packed since the rooms were not yet ready. The time we were done, rooms were ready and we headed downstairs. We went with a deluxe verandah room and we did notice the smaller size compared with the deluxe family oceanview room on our past cruise. We were on the starboard side of the ship and got to watch the crew loading the ship. We walked around the ship and headed up to the Sail Away party and it was fun for the kids. We went down for dinner in the Enchanted Garden shortly after the show ended (first seating). Tip – if you are not able to book the first dining online, call Disney and they will put you on a wait list. We were very lucky and were assigned to first dining when we received our cards. There is also a time on the ship you can ask to change. As for dinner itself, our wait staff was wonderful and the food was excellent as usual. I had the tomato bisque and sea bass and I would say it is one of the best meals of my life, if not the best. Everyone else really enjoyed their meals as well. That evening, they had some fun Christmas shows in the atrium. The Golden Mickey’s was very good and the kids enjoyed it. For the day at Nassau, we arrived in port around 9am and we ashore before lunch. My in-laws were traveling with us and wanted to see Nassau. We were off the ship for about an hour and that was enough. Unless you have a shore excursion, just stay on the ship! It is just too crazy with all of the people pushing you to take rides or trying to sell you things. Back on the ship, we had some lunch at the quick-service restaurants on the pool deck and it was pretty tasty. Nothing mind-blowing, but hit the spot. We enjoyed the pools and my wife and 7yo son rode the Aquaduck while I took my 3yo to the Nemo splash area. We all had a good time there. We then took our older son down to the kid’s club and we had our younger son get a much-needed nap. My wife and I enjoyed some time on the balcony watching the ships parked next to ours. It was scheduled to be a very slow port day in Nassau, but there were a total of five ships that docked, so the pier was crazier than usual. Dinner was at the Royal Palace and the food was once again very good. The wait staff even brought me out an extra dessert (soufflé night!) since I mentioned how much I love them. The show that night was Beauty and the Beast and it was out of this world! The effects are simply amazing and we were glad the seas were calm so they could perform. The last cruise was pretty rocky and they had to cancel it, which broke our hearts! It was also pirate night and the shows on the top deck were a blast. The fireworks are on the shorter side (about 3 minutes or so), but totally worth staying up for. The next day was our stop at Castaway Cay. We docked around 8am and we headed off the ship around 9:30am. We saw the grand Christmas tree and there was a character meeting when we got off. The tram ride was short and a nice way to travel to our beach. The weather was perfect, but we under-estimated how strong the sun was. We were all on the verge of nasty sunburns, even with sunscreen. The water was a bit on the cooler side (maybe upper-70s), but did not take long to adjust to. My older son enjoyed the water slide and we also swam around the snorkeling area a bit. We did not actually snorkel, but just wore our life vests out and enjoyed the view. Lunch is a basic bbq with hot dogs and burgers with a variety of sides and fruit. It tasted pretty good since we were all hungry. We did some shopping and then went back to the ship. My younger son took a nap again and my older son went back to the kid’s area. My wife and I took turns relaxing in the room while the other explored the ship. We left the island around 4:45pm and it was sad to see it sail into the sunset. Dinner was in Animator’s Palate. I was still full from lunch, so I went with a lighter chicken dish (very good!). The potato soup was amazing, but a part of me wished I would have asked for the tomato bisque and sea bass from the first night again. The show in the restaurant was tons of fun and the kids loved it. We then went to watch Believe and the cast was brilliant! We saw the show back in January and it was updated from what we remembered. The genie was hilarious and the one actress singing a song from Princess and the Frog brought the house down! I would put it up with any show on Broadway right now. Both of our kids sat for all three shows, even though it was past their usual bedtimes. When the show was over, we went back to the room to get our suitcases outside for pickup and then we relaxed a bit. I caught some Sunday Night Football on Funnel Vision on the top deck and walked around some. It was a great ending to the day. The only downside for the day in general was trying to book our next cruise. I was 5th in line, but two people ahead of me were booking six rooms and four rooms. With only two crew members assisting, the people in line were very frustrated as well and I ended up just putting a placeholder card in the box. I wasted 45 minutes standing there when I could have been enjoying the ship. I know for the next time! The final morning was the same as our last cruise. We hit up Cabana’s for breakfast and the staff is not as cheerful as the other mornings. I know they are pushing to get everyone off the ship and I think it is a tactic to help people along. There is a limited menu, which is also understandable. We did have the option to go back to Animator’s Palate, but it was at 6:45am, which was too early for us. Getting off the ship was very fast and going through the line at customs took maybe 10 minutes. We were back in the garage and the trip ended in a blink of an eye. I just think about all of the people coming on and how excited they are for their trip. It is such a sad feeling to leave the amazing Dream, but we also learn more each trip. We know some things we will do differently for the next cruise and we are hoping to go back next October! Read Less

My husband and I (late 60s) booked this cruise over a year ago through Costco Travel for very generous Costco Giftcards as an incentive, since few other travel agents gave anything as bonuses for booking a Disney cruise. Our family was 6 adults,and 3 grandkids ages 7, 4, and 14 months. Everything went smoothly, port arrival and departure was quick walk off when ready with no hassle and very efficient with luggage, etc. Fantasy was beautiful, clean, just the right size to access everything. Kids club was entertaining for our girls and our little grandson enjoyed Andy's play area. All of them liked the pool and splashzones, and plenty of characters to meet. We all enjoyed the 3 rotating restaurants with our waiters that follow you to each one and are very attentive to kids and adults, especially "Bojana" our main waitress. We have taken 26 cruises over the years, and this was one of the best! If it wasn't so expensive we would do it more often. If you want to prebook again with a refundable deposit to use within 2 years, they provide "place savers" with incentives. We did not do this because our family cruises are every 4 or 5 years apart, and we also do Disney World and other vacations. We also loved the adults-only area with Skyline Bar, and OooLaLa bar among others. A tip, when we tried to book Palo brunch and liquor tastings before the cruise they were all sold out. We were told to board early and go right to Guest Services and request what we wanted. They hold back some reservations for then, and it worked! We got every activity we wanted. Re: Excursions on the islands: First stop is Tortolla and we did it on our own. Just walk thru the port and get an open-air shuttle to Cane Garden Bay beach for a wonderful, white sand, calm blue water beach with chairs and umbrellas and beach bars. $9 transportation per person and free for kids if on your lap. At St. Thomas we also took a taxi ($8) to our favorite beach "Coki Beach". Again a beautiful beach day and bring snorkles if you have them to see and feed the tropical fish. They give you dog biscuits which the fish nibble on. Water so clear you dont even need snorkles. Then shopping back in town before boarding ship. Castaway Caye was a favorite and Disney provides everything. No problem getting a chair and umbrella (free), and plenty of activities or just relax. We would definitely recommend a Disney cruise. Adults only areas on ship and beach if you need a break from children just put them in free kids club for an hour or two. Read Less

We took our granddaughter on the cruise of a lifetime. Ship was incredibly clean, well organized and the staff was unbelievable. The only reason for the less than 5 was due to the subpar food on the formal dinners. Everything seemed rushed and the Meals seemed to be prepared and served after cooking under a heat light for hours. Avoid the oysters Rockefeller and the lobster tail. The characters were very accessible and the meet and greets with frozen girls and the princesses were heavenly. Our cabin seemed brand new with everything working and fresh linens daily. Cabin staff were incredibly nice and remembered our little ones name (nice touch). The dolphin excursion in grand cayman was very well organized and not too pricey. Negotiate the cost of prints they want to sell them! Cozumel was mostly a bust - rain and didn’t feel safe wandering around too far from the ship. The sales folks are very aggressive and tries more than once to lure our little one with toys etc. just not comfortable. All in all this was a trip of a lifetime. Get the meals right guys. Read Less

I joined my Sister, Niece & husband, and my Sister’s three grandchildren on a family cruise. I doubted that the cruise could ever justify the higher price point than other cruises. I was wrong. The look on a three year old’s face when she sees her favorite princess, or when Crush starts talking in Animator’s Palate- is priceless. There is no price one can put on Ariel stopping to chat with a seven year old fan, and finding a way to draw a very shy 11 year old into the fun. How about the look on the 11 and 7 year olds faces when our dining room guru taught them how to balance four forks on two toothpicks stuck into the cork in a wine bottle? I bet even the looks on the adults’ faces were priceless. And who ever thought fireworks at sea could be better than many a land show? Or how much fun the pirate night party could be for kids of all ages? Or how much fun riding the AquaDuck is - even after the 657th time? These are the things that set DCL apart from other lines. They have excellent food. Superb service. And great entertainment. But so do other lines. I will say that DCL has a crew that has an amazing ability to remember people and their names - beyond the dining room and the cabin staff. Imagine how stunned I was to walk into Cove Cafe on the second morning, and have the barista ask me if I wanted my non-fat latte with a tiny pump of mocha? Or to have Abu at the pool greet me by name every time he saw me at the pool, after spending just a few minutes the first morning chatting - before everyone else joined us. I have never encountered anything like this outside of concierge service on other lines. The ports were fun. Disney’s private island - glorious. Everything added up to an excellent trip. There were three areas that need some work. First the filled pasta in Animator’s Palate was barely warm, the pasta was gummy and the sauce had an almost congealed quality to it. Almost as if it had sat under heat lamps too long. This was a Halloween cruise, and the ship needed to prepare the corridors on the trick or treat decks by removing vacuums, buckets filled with water, caution signs and huge housekeeping carts. No one was hurt, but there were a few excited little ones that stumbled over cords, etc. Photo package buyers beware. If someone in your cabin wears glasses, or is facing sideways in pics, you might not get them in your package. If you are traveling in more than one cabin, be sure to check the photos for each cabin to make sure you get as many pics as possible. None of these issues put a damper on the cruise. We enjoyed ourselves so much, we put down a deposit on a yet to be determined future cruise. Read Less