We first sailed on the Dream about two years ago, on our first cruise ever-me, my wife, and our little 2 year old son. We had a great time, but really didn't appreciate just how awesome Disney is at this, or just about anything that Disney does. We went in Jan 2013 on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, and while it was a nice experience, it just didn't compare with the Dream on so many levels. So, we went back on the Dream after a week of Disneyworld craziness, and were awestruck with just how amazing everything truly is. I will offer a few comparisons as an example, with a summary at the end.

First, the Dream has cabin phones-two of them that can be used around both Castaway Cay and the ship on sea days. I cannot stress how useful we found these devices. When on the Freedom, we were constantly having to choose a point and time to meet, and when the inevitable diaper change (our daughter was 1 at the time) or other interruption arose, we would find ourselves waiting and wondering where the other person was. Also, the knowledge that my son could simply call us whenever he felt lonely or scared in the Oceaneer's Club meant that he never felt lonely or scared-he just never felt secure on the Freedom (not to mention that the Freedom's kids club consisted of a fairly large room, while the Oceaneer's Club and Lab constitute and entire DECK on the Dream). This feature is worth a LOT to me and my wife.

And, as mentioned briefly above, the Dream has a staggering amount of space devoted to the smallest of passengers. The Lab and Club are so awesome as to defy words, at least to a young person-my son has some separation anxiety issues, but the staff was so welcoming and the accoutrements so fun, my son never looked back. The ONE time he was a little bit nervous on the last night, I took him over to see "if he wanted to go," and the wonderful British person looked at him and said "Hey Jack! I am so happy you are here. Do you want to decorate your own amazing sugar cookie and then eat it right after? Cause that's what we are doing back in the kitchen!" He smiled, waved goodbye, and my wife and I were able to pack our bags in relative peace (although with a bittersweet knowledge that we had to say goodbye!). Seriously, for families, this ship CANNOT be beat, and the alone time it afforded us was priceless, because we didn't have to worry about our kids while we were alone (which unfortunately wasn't the case on the Freedom-they yelled at my son for not keeping his shoes on for Pete's sake). Read more